time to polish up the GUNZZZ!

I was really down and moody today from being glycogen depleted. I kept thinking I should just quit cutting because it is so awful. (p.s.- I am doing refeeds on weekends to help ward off catabolism and boost metabolism.)
Also I sprained my ankle on saturday and can't do any leg work for a few days.
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Anyway, I did an upper body workout tonight and got a good pump, took off my shirt and suddenly got a boost of motivation! I remembered why I am dieting in the first place when I saw my muscle defintion getting clearer! Still have some flab around the belly/hips but everywhere else is looking really chiseled and it definitely motivated me to keep going! I am definitely stopping once I hit 180 lb.s, I think that is as light as I can go before I start losing significant muscle mass.
 
keep at it sci! The mirror will be your best motivator...

When you want to quit, force yourself to cut for another week or two (no excuses). Then re-evaluate after looking in the mirror and see if you really should stop or not.


I stopped shy of my goal of getting a 6pack, but only because it is getting cold and I was worried it wouldn't be worth getting that lean prior to a bulk (a slow bulk, but a bulk nontheless). However, I am leaner than I have been in years and look better than I have in a long time. This last cut actually has me excited for my next cut. Hopefully I will be a solid 200lbs w/ a six pack by summer!
 
I am now having problems cutting with the winter season and holidays coming up. It started when I went to my uncle's wedding this past weekend and gained back a few pounds, and now this cold weather has me wanting to eat and store some fat for the winter.
Not sure what to do, but continuing to lose weight and reach my goal of 180 lb.s with visible abs seems very daunting, especially with Thanksgiving Holiday coming next week!!!
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<div>
(colby2152 @ Nov. 15 2007,21:30)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Sci, consider it a metabolic reset.  If I can stick to cutting, then you can so keep it up.</div>
I mulled it over and came to the same conclusion. I have come too far to quit now, and I wouldn't be happy if I don't follow through with my plan/goal.
Thanks, for the support Colby and jwbond.
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Last winter when I started my cut, if I felt cold I did some exercise: push-ups, dips, running, rowing, whatever. I found hot drinks helped take my mind off food too.

What really helped me stick at it was that I had a holiday booked at a place where there are lots of water activities. I stuck to my plan and was in pretty good shape by the time I had to get in the water - veins popping up at the slightest exertion and abs proving their existence for the first time in ages.
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(Not that I'm big or anything but being lean certainly adds to that perception; I seemed to get a lot of stares that week which was good for the old ego.)

Another thing I loved about being leaner was how easy bodyweight exercises felt. It definitely made me feel younger again.

Anyway, hang on in there. If I can do it, you can too.
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sci, keep this in mind...



You will need to consider the following to make your decision!



Are you motivated enough to make the cut worthwhile?
If you are going to half-ass it by cheating and periodically gaining weight, then maybe it will be wiser to slow bulk now and wait until spring to cut (just start early enough) when you will have more motivation.

Have you planned out the timing of your next bulk?
Likely you are going to bulk again, right? Even it is a slow-bulk you will still gain fat, which will force you to do another cut prior to beach season. Make sure you plan the NEXT bulk/cut as well since summer is when we truly want to look our best!

Have you been quiting on cutting for too many years?
If so, getting lean might be a good motivation to not eat like a cow on your next bulk!



To be honest, I have mixed feeling about my decision to stop my cut. On one hand, it would have been nice to see the 6pack, as I was so close! On the other hand, my arms felt so puny and I didn't want to have any drastic losses of strength since winter/bulk is on the horizon anyway.

As of right now, I am doing my 15s and only gained about 1lb, but I feel fatter.


...in the end, you will likely second guess yourself no matter what you choose to do! Hopefully my playing devil's advocate didn't confuse you further!
 
I am indeed confused, but it is not your fault jw.  I started a new routine which has more varied exercises than I have used in the past and it got me sore everywhere today and HUNGRY!
I partly got the new workout idea partly from Old &amp; Gray who has always said that he prefers to multiple exercises per bodypart rather than one exercise per bodypart with multiple sets.
So now I am doing 14 different exercises but only one or two work sets per exercise.  I must say that I like it and feel I have hit muscles in new places, new motor units stimulated, etc.
But today I was recovering from the workout and was very, very hungry and I caved in and ate a bunch.  I feel great and I definitely have gained some muscle along with the fat since 'falling off the wagon' this past weekend!
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Now I can look at this as simply 'falling off the wagon' of my diet and tomorrow get back to my serious cut...OR...I could say screw it, its wintertime and I want to make some hypertrophy gains while my body is naturally hungry and wait until spring until cutting again with renewed dedication.
Both options have good points and are attractive for different reasons.  I will have to play it by ear for now.
BTW, I would guess I am around 12-13% bodyfat as of right now.
 
oh yeah, also my wife bought 2 pounds of crab legs for dinner this weekend!
*&amp;%$@! I love crab meat...and obviously she isn't dieting and plans on eating it with me, so this along with Thanksgiving next week is Temptation City!
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Crabs are lean man!
O&amp;G and I are using different exersizes in our workouts but I can't speak for him.
I use an alternate for each bodypart (squats/deads, Tbar/Pendlay/DB rows, Bench/dips) only for the reason of overall health and fitness as opposed to limiting my movements to single exersizes in a 3-way workout. (back chest, legs)
I'm not doing the variety for any suppositions of extra hypertrophy or muscle shaping or whatnot. I just like to have more ability, more agility.
JW expresses my fears for cutting. I like my gunz.
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sci, at 12-13% bf you are probably better off cutting. Think about it with 2 consecutive weeks of 2lbs losses, you will be around 10-11%. You can then stop at a point where you will look much better with minimal strength loss. You will be smaller, but look bigger.

Not mention it is easier to ensure you are putting lbm when you are at 10-11%, as a small jump is more notceable.



Just hit the cardio hard for 2 weeks, then EAT EAT EAT. You'll be happy you did after the 2 weeks are up. Just don't wuss out and elongate the cut, that will make it awful and take up time you could be adding LBM!
 
<div>
(scientific muscle @ Nov. 16 2007,23:06)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Your triceps are massive!
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My biceps are not. I'm lousy at math too.
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Here is some pics for fun.

First one is me on 6/16/07 @ 205 lb.s

Second one is me today (11/17/07) @ 190 lb.s

No abs yet, I still think I would need to hit 180 for abs.
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<div>
(scientific muscle @ Nov. 15 2007,21:22)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">and now this cold weather has me wanting to eat and store some fat for the winter.</div>
That only works if you are planning on hibernating until spring...
 
<div>
(TunnelRat @ Nov. 17 2007,22:28)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(scientific muscle @ Nov. 15 2007,21:22)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">and now this cold weather has me wanting to eat and store some fat for the winter.</div>
That only works if you are planning on hibernating until spring...</div>
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very good point!
 
11/19/07 (monday)

Pictures don't lie and this most recent one though showing improvement over this summer's pic, shows there is still more cutting to do. Ok, so I went back on my diet today. Weighed in tonight at 188. Now that the new year is only weeks away, I am determined to stick to my cut as strictly as possible through the holiday season and my goal is to reach 180 lb.s or less by Jan. 1st, 2008!!! Hopefully with visible abs by that point!
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Colby, if you are reading this, I challenge you to a small competition to be determined by weight lost between now and New year's day, and Pictures to boot! (if you are not interested in the challenge, I understand, I am basically just trying to get myself extra motivated and I know a litle competition between freinds can help!
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)

The second pic shown above will be my 'before' pic taken just this weekend.
 
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