Should I quit cutting already?

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imported_etothepii

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I have gone from 167 on Jan 1. to 147 now. My discipline has waned, and I have been hovering at this weight for a while. A recent vacation hasn't helped.

I would guess that I am at the 12 -13% bf range right now. I had wanted to get to 10%, but I don't know if it's practicle. I've been dieting for a while now (with the exception of a 2 week planned maintenance eating phase and as I said, a vacation).

My strength has really gone down the crapper. Especially upper body. Can't bench diddly. Pull ups and dips are about the same in terms of added load, but I'm 20 lbs lighter. Military press is a struggle...
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So I could SD for a couple weeks. Get back to maintenance eating and start a new, true HST cycle. Oh, one problem, a vacation (again!) planned for a week in mid June. After SD, I'd only have about 6 weeks to HST.

Any thoguhts, tips, advice?
 
Follow up:

In case you don't know much about me:

I'm 35
Height 5' 6"
Former Fat Boy (200+ pounds of lard)
I've been lifting for about 16 months. About 14 of those months have been HST or 3x5 strength training.
 
why not eat at maintanance dont sd just go straight into a new cycle then sd on your holiday.
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I agree that you should change. If you don't have the motivation, then it will be hard to keep cutting properly. I would do as faz suggested. Start eating at maintenance, go straight into another cycle, then take some time off when you go on vacation.
 
I come at this from a different perspective.  I've been where you are, etothepii.  I know how frustrating it can be.

No matter what you plan on doing to your body, I think it's very important to form a clear picture in your head of what you're trying to achieve and why you're doing it before you start.  I've cut down to about 5% twice, and each time it SUCKED.  I lost strength, started to second guess myself, whined in chatroom forums, contemplated giving up many times, justifying it by saying 'i'm burned out, this is not good for me physically' etc. etc. --all kinds of excuses.  However, the reason I stuck with it (which was especially hard the first time I cut) is because I had clear cut goals prior to starting my cut.  Life gets in the way of every bber, man.  You will also easily lose motivation--all the time, and that is when it is more important than ever to keep to your initial game plan.  You might need to make adjustments like maybe eat slightly more or workout with less volume, but don't just give up your goal to get 10% and 'put things on hold' or start bulking.  Almost everyone does that, and they wind up spinning their wheels.  Doing what makes your body comfortable is not the way to get to where your mind wants to take you.  Plus, if you continue to cut despite life's obstacles getting in your way, you will learn a hell of a lot about your body and will be even more successful the next time you do it.  .  G'luck no matter what you do though
 
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(stevejones @ Apr. 18 2007,15:18)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I come at this from a different perspective.  I've been where you are, etothepii.  I know how frustrating it can be.

No matter what you plan on doing to your body, I think it's very important to form a clear picture in your head of what you're trying to achieve and why you're doing it before you start.  I've cut down to about 5% twice, and each time it SUCKED.  I lost strength, started to second guess myself, whined in chatroom forums, contemplated giving up many times, justifying it by saying 'i'm burned out, this is not good for me physically' etc. etc. --all kinds of excuses.  However, the reason I stuck with it (which was especially hard the first time I cut) is because I had clear cut goals prior to starting my cut.  Life gets in the way of every bber, man.  You will also easily lose motivation--all the time, and that is when it is more important than ever to keep to your initial game plan.  You might need to make adjustments like maybe eat slightly more or workout with less volume, but don't just give up your goal to get 10% and 'put things on hold' or start bulking.  Almost everyone does that, and they wind up spinning their wheels.  Doing what makes your body comfortable is not the way to get to where your mind wants to take you.  Plus, if you continue to cut despite life's obstacles getting in your way, you will learn a hell of a lot about your body and will be even more successful the next time you do it.  .  G'luck no matter what you do though</div>
well said.

you are so close to your goal it would be ashame to quit now. 2 months is plenty of time to reach 10% if cutting. im not sure just 2 months (with an SD) of bulking is going to greatly improve any size you currently have.

the mind must be willing though. perhaps a week at maint. to seriously think it over will allow you to go in either direction.

regardless of the goal. a goal achieved and a goal almost achieved are two very different thngs, and only you know the difference.

good luck with whatever you chose.
 
All this manly willpower talk is nice, but he feels shitty and his strength is down after losing 20 lb.s (alot for his size).

E, if you think you are lean enough, then you are lean enough. If you don't think you are lean enough, then you need to keep going. Don't let a bodyfat number worry you, go by the mirror and your feelings. Ultimately that is all that matters.

Noone is going to see you on the beach and say...wow, you are 9.7% bodyfat! That is why I say go by the mirror.
 
But take steve's advice over mine, I have never been below 10% bodyfat so I wouldn't know if it is worth it or not. I do know that getting under 10% is difficult for most people, and getting under 8% is downright painful without drugs for most of the population. Stevejones has done it, and I know he suffered for it, so I guess it was worth it to him.
 
Well, we will have to agree to disagree, because I'm of the opinion that 'feelings' are shlt and amount to nothing.  If I did whatever I felt like doing I'd give up all my goals, go to the gym once per week and eat 7k calories per day.  &quot;Oh, nobody cares if I get a record, it means nothing, nobody will see me on the beach and go wow that guy deadlifts 800 lbs, so I quit.   I'm gonna go buy me some aerobics tapes. &quot;  That's what my little feelings were telling me the entire 1.5 hours in the gym today while this sheiko program was beating me to death on every frikken rep, so  fluck feelings. They fluctuate too often.

This isn't a debate about whether a certain bf % number is &quot;worth it.&quot;  It's what he chose and I think he should work at it until he's finished.  If he chose &quot;to see visible abs&quot; then do that instead.  Finish what you start.  Too many guys give lame excuses to quit.
 
I like feelings...if it was wasn't for how exercising made me feel I wouldn't do it.

Steve I bet you will have some pretty great feelings when you hit that 800!  But I see your point...Diligence, dedication and willpower.

I guess I am just a total pussy.
 
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(scientific muscle @ Apr. 18 2007,20:54)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Yeah, I'm sure I will feel great, but right now i'm in the middle of my third week in this program and I feel like...how does that expression go....&quot;like I've been eaten by a wolf and shlt off a cliff.&quot; Friday I will feel worse. Next week is going to really suck. Then, a few weeks from now I will feel outstanding. That's just how it goes when you try to accomplish hard shlt. Anyway, I'm done ranting. Good luck etothepii, may the force be with you</div>
Nothing wrong with being a pussy. I'm such a pussy right now I could barely pick up this nerf football to throw to my kid.
 
Sorry to go off-subject here etothepii....

Steve, I know how you feel, I am driven like mad to pull 550 by year's end. I will do everything in my power to accomplish it. Then I will go to a meet and have some fun. One day in the future I want to pull 700. For someone of my build this sounds like a pipe dream. I don't care, it is still my goal and when I hit 550 I will believe in it even more. (hopefully adding 20 pounds to my frame will help, which is why I am doing HST right now) I never did get to test my 1rm conventional style since I strained my back. But I would bet I could pull 400 conventional style right now. The weights feel like feathers since I switched from sumo stance.
 
Wow you're pretty ambitious Sci. That would be incredible if you could do something like that. Hope you get it.

I know that after posting this, most guys will think I'm nuts or a flake...and I probably am.  However, what I'm talking about when I say 'finish what you start' or 'complete your goals' is not just deciding what you want to do and then going after it.  It's about a process called visioneering (basically self hypnosis).  Maybe some of you have tried it.  I listened to a 'self hypnosis tape by Dane Spotts. What you do is take a day off (like maybe a Saturday) and just write down what you think will make you really happy.  Then, you learn how to go through the self hypnosis procedure via the tape (which I'm sure you can download online somewhere).  After you have learned how to do that, you just spend 5 minutes every morning in your hypnosis session associating happy memories or feelings to what you want to accomplish.  After the 5 minutes is up, you go about your day normally.  In the tape, Spotts teaches you how your subconscious is what runs your life, not the conscious.  It's pretty good stuff, and easy to do.  

Doing this every morning has really helped me achieve alot.  I've had a lot of failures as well, but the gains far outweigh the shortcomings.  Whatever is in my subconscious has really helped me to get through the hard parts of accomplishing goals in bbing or plifting (such as right now during this overreaching phase I'm in).  It's very interesting, because I have all the negative feelings, fears, and anxieties that any normal person has when it comes to exercise.  I complain, have a bad attitude often, etc. etc. ...but am just driven and do these things anyway.  I think the self hypnosis sessions are responsible.  I've been doing these sessions (about things both unrelated and unrelated to bbing) for about 7 years.  Ok, no more psychobabble.  I'm finished.   Sorry to ruin your thread Negative One.
 
Call me crazy, but I wouldn't want to weigh much less than you do now, even at 5'6. I say go have fun and put on some muscle
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But if you gain fat easily, instead of trying out HST (you can still fall back on it later), try a different kind of bulking program, like UD2.0 for mass.
 
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(stevejones @ Apr. 18 2007,21:51)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Wow you're pretty ambitious Sci.  That would be incredible if you could do something like that.  Hope you get it.

I know that after posting this, most guys will think I'm nuts or a flake...and I probably am.  However, what I'm talking about when I say 'finish what you start' or 'complete your goals' is not just deciding what you want to do and then going after it.  It's about a process called visioneering (basically self hypnosis).  Maybe some of you have tried it.  I listened to a 'self hypnosis tape by Dane Spotts. What you do is take a day off (like maybe a Saturday) and just write down what you think will make you really happy.  Then, you learn how to go through the self hypnosis procedure via the tape (which I'm sure you can download online somewhere).  After you have learned how to do that, you just spend 5 minutes every morning in your hypnosis session associating happy memories or feelings to what you want to accomplish.  After the 5 minutes is up, you go about your day normally.  In the tape, Spotts teaches you how your subconscious is what runs your life, not the conscious.  It's pretty good stuff, and easy to do.  

Doing this every morning has really helped me achieve alot.  I've had a lot of failures as well, but the gains far outweigh the shortcomings.  Whatever is in my subconscious has really helped me to get through the hard parts of accomplishing goals in bbing or plifting (such as right now during this overreaching phase I'm in).  It's very interesting, because I have all the negative feelings, fears, and anxieties that any normal person has when it comes to exercise.  I complain, have a bad attitude often, etc. etc. ...but am just driven and do these things anyway.  I think the self hypnosis sessions are responsible.  I've been doing these sessions (about things both unrelated and unrelated to bbing) for about 7 years.  Ok, no more psychobabble.  I'm finished.   Sorry to ruin your thread Negative One.</div>
Wow Steve, that is awesome. I believe in the power of mind also. I do Zen meditation. And I write down my goals, etc.

Just now I went downstairs and rackpulled 405 from the bottom pins. Didn't even warm up much. I didn't want to overstrain myself and pull from the floor since my deadlift session is on Friday, but 405 from the bottom pins came up without too much trouble...I just wanted to confirm that I could probably handle about 405 right now. (subconscious programming)
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steve some great advise there pal,i agree people give up to easy as you say if you have a goal at least try to ain for it.
about this bit though, What you do is take a day off (like maybe a Saturday) and just write down what you think will make you really happy.

the problem is i want to sit on the coach all day&quot;watching sport&quot; eat what i want and be in the single didget bf% and be 220lbs of muscle,then go out at night and drink loads of beer,while still keeping my family happy.
im finding it hard to visualise how to do it
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I'm such a mental case!!!

I know my problem. I wanted to cut down to 10% or so, and do it without any of the negative side effects. I wanted to be that glorious exception to the rule. I even wanted to reach 10%(by estimates) and get tested only to find I'm really below 10% bf somehow.
Yeah, newbie me -- 9% bf and maintaining all my RMs. What a head case.

I need to think on my goals a little and make a decision. I need to get some photos. I need to compare myself to a year ago.

If I keep the diet up, I need to get focused again.

Here's my current situation. I've started the 5s phase of my current lifting cycle, and I am having trouble with my starting weights. I think I may be able to progress to the next weight, but that will be my limit (for most of my lifts).

Weird thing: My 15 RMs are the same. 10 RMs are down a bit. 5 RMs down a whole lot. That is playing with my head.

I am thinking that 15s along with HIIT cardio will keep big things happening in my metabolism -- good thing for losing fat, right? But What about maintaining as much muscle as I can? Are heavier weights, lower reps good for that?

I could do a 15, 10, 5 rep workout scheme. One rep range per workout per week.

Ugh!!
 
One plus side: My wife has always supported me as I obsess on eating and working out, but has kept all opinions and judgements to herself. She cares 0% about appearance, and only sees the good (or bad) that is within people. She rarely comments on my physique. Well, during our recent mini vacation, she got very serious with me, looked right in my eyes and told me that I look great. That was awesome!
 
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