My pictures are in my signature so you guys can see exactly where I am now, well as of 10 days ago. The last picture was taken at the end of March. I've crunched the numbers more times than I can count and on paper it seems feasible that based on my calorie intake, bmr, cadio, and weightlifting, that in the next 65 or so days I could get down to 8% BF which is where I really want to be.

Today is day 116 of my cut and I've gone from 193lbs at god knows what BF%, probably 40%, with barely any muscle at all to 166lbs at 19.2% with a decent amount of muscle added.

Even with all that progress it still seems so impossibly far away and I guess I just need a reality check, and some outside opinions, on how far away I am from the ultimate goal of 8%.

You've done an amazing job so far.

But, and I hate to say this, you have a very big task ahead of you. I crunched your numbers too. It's looking like that you need to lose about 20lbs in 60 days, around 2.5lbs/wk. This means you are losing exactly 0lbs of LBM total, which, when you get down low enough, will be nearly impossible. What you've done so far is, regrettably, the easiest part of the weight loss. That stuff melted off of you, and the changes are great.

But when you're dealing with those stubborn last few percentages, things won't be as easy. 2.5lbs/wk may not be safe when you're getting that low- you're going to need to work twice as hard to take off 1lb/wk of fat, while trying to hold on to every bit of muscle you have.

I don't think it's impossible, but I don't think it's the best thing you can do for yourself. You have to hit those weights HARD, while eating enough food, doing cardio (sometimes twice a day), and making sure you don't get sick or injured.

Don't put a timetable on it. Don't treat it like a crash diet. Work hard at the gym, eat the right amounts of foods- in the long run, it will work out better for you. You're on the right track, and keep going!


My pictures are in my signature so you guys can see exactly where I am now, well as of 10 days ago. The last picture was taken at the end of March. I've crunched the numbers more times than I can count and on paper it seems feasible that based on my calorie intake, bmr, cadio, and weightlifting, that in the next 65 or so days I could get down to 8% BF which is where I really want to be.

Today is day 116 of my cut and I've gone from 193lbs at god knows what BF%, probably 40%, with barely any muscle at all to 166lbs at 19.2% with a decent amount of muscle added.

Even with all that progress it still seems so impossibly far away and I guess I just need a reality check, and some outside opinions, on how far away I am from the ultimate goal of 8%.

I agree with tennisball. Good post, I think. Maybe it is possible, it might not be -- and if it is, you might not be able to do it. Good luck -- it is worth a shot!

I also came up with needing to lose 20 pounds to get to 8%. 10% might be a more reasonable goal since that would require losing 15 pounds which would be around 1.8lbs per week.

I definately know it's going to get harder but I've gotten to the point now where doing the cardio, weights, and eating completely clean is second nature. It's just the waiting part I can't get used to.

As previously mentioned, I don't think the odds are favorable to get to 8% by the middle of June from where you're currently at, it's very difficult to go from 15 - 10% but even harder to go from 10 - 8%.

That's not to say you haven't done a great job already though, but i'm sure as you know by now, it takes time, so take it day by day and go slow, no need to rush, be proud of what you've done so far and you'll get to your goals sooner or later, but i'm not here to discourage you, so prove us wrong and get to 8% by June :tu:

Thanks for the supportive words. I'll just take it day by day and try to make some significant progress by the end of April when I post my next picture. Then re-evaulate where I stand.

Just out of curiosity - isn't 8% BF heading towards unhealthy?

Dave (heard men are at optimal balance around 10-12%)

Even with all that progress it still seems so impossibly far away and I guess I just need a reality check, and some outside opinions, on how far away I am from the ultimate goal of 8%.

Tou have made huge progress and should be proud of that. But I also think your goal might be a little too ambitous. Why not set a shorter term goal, say 1 month from now, at an intermediate point, say 14%?

For what it's worth, I'm at about 22% BF and I have a mid-June goal of 13%... I think goals are great for motivation as long as one doesn't obsess too much about them.

Tou have made huge progress and should be proud of that. But I also think your goal might be a little too ambitous. Why not set a shorter term goal, say 1 month from now, at an intermediate point, say 14%?

For what it's worth, I'm at about 22% BF and I have a mid-June goal of 13%... I think goals are great for motivation as long as one doesn't obsess too much about them.

Thanks Amilder. I know I need to set short term goals but I also like to have long term goals and know where I stand in the grand scheme of things.

dczoner: I don't think 8% is unhealthy. Most of the really ripped people seem to have around 8%. That's when you get those abs that could grate cheese.

Just out of curiosity - isn't 8% BF heading towards unhealthy?

Dave (heard men are at optimal balance around 10-12%)

8% bf is perfectly fine.

Truely nice work there!

You can do anything you put your mind to and that is evident by the progress thus far. But losing that much in just 3 monhts would be really hard work and may put extra strain on your body. I would not recommend it.

One thing I noticed is that you were worried about loose skin. They will be even worse (from my knowledge) if you lose the weight too fast. I dropped a ton of weight in a short period and had some loose skin, thankfully I am young and my body was able to recover and I didn't need to get anything extra for it.

You have 90 days you say? A goal of 20 lbs may be reasonable, but not sure if that would equal the fat % loss you are looking for. Please don't be discouraged if you don't reach your goals. What you ahve done so far is remarkable!

:tu:

As previously mentioned, I don't think the odds are favorable to get to 8% by the middle of June from where you're currently at, it's very difficult to go from 15 - 10% but even harder to go from 10 - 8%.

Sorry to be post happy, but Chirs is right.

My jump to my current 8% was really hard. You gotta watch every little thing to get there. Macros are really important, time of day, fasted or unfasted cardio, etc. It takes a lot of little things to make the jump from the 12% to 15% range to the 8% to 10%.

Loose skin is a concern of mine. I am at the point now where I can suck in my stomach to where it's flat and the skin doesn't look too bad. Hopefully it will continue to tighten if i keep drinking lots of water and I also have age on my side.

i'll just do my best and hope things fall into place.