Hey guys,

I stepped on the scales this morning and noticed I went up 2 pounds, but that is mainly due to a family outing that I really had no control over going to or not and not have a choice when it came to eating dinner. However, even though I know I can drop the 2 pounds in basically a day or so, I looked in the mirror and thought about something. It looked like I "bloated up" a little! Now, I'm not talking about fat, because I have been at 178 before and looked the same as I did at 172. But it worried me, because I DO NOT want to ever get "big fat" again. I have eaten only good foods today and plan on doing a 20 minute jog and then working out later in the evening.

However, I'm going on a new routine soon that I planned out to help bulk up. What I'm worried about is...should I bulk even if I want to lose a few more pounds? I've heard that when you build muscle, the muscle burns the fat anyways so I should go ahead and jump right into it. Any thoughts?? I am a 19 year old male that is 6'1 and weights ~175lbs.

Thanks!

Have a picture?

hah... i soooo know what you mean. it's a dangerous game too.
i'm 6'1 173 lbs.

keep in mind, the second you start bulking, you're going to put on waterweight that will look alot like fat, and it'll freak you out.
well, at least it did in my situation because i hold 17 lbs in water. (i.e. i jump from 173 to 190 in 1 day)

i really dont know what to say, but my suggestion is to get to a low bf% first, and then do a slow bulk.
this way, you'll ALWAYS stay very lean all year round.

that's what i'm doing now.

hah... i soooo know what you mean. it's a dangerous game too.
i'm 6'1 173 lbs.

keep in mind, the second you start bulking, you're going to put on waterweight that will look alot like fat, and it'll freak you out.
well, at least it did in my situation because i hold 17 lbs in water. (i.e. i jump from 173 to 190 in 1 day)

i really dont know what to say, but my suggestion is to get to a low bf% first, and then do a slow bulk.
this way, you'll ALWAYS stay very lean all year round.

that's what i'm doing now.

You jumped 17lbs. in one day? Damn!!!!!!! :d_eek: :d_eek: :d_eek:

Yes I will definately get some pics up as soon as I find my camera again to take some with! By the way...if it helps anybody out as to trying to understand what I want to look like, I DO NOT want to look like a WWE wrestler or Mr. Olympia or anything like that. I mean, it's not that I don't want to exert the energy to do it, I just do not want to look like that. I guess the best interpretation of what I want to look like is an Abercrombie&Fitch model...as weird as that sounds.

Models don't usually have that much muscle but they are low bodyfat, 6-8%. Muscle does burn more calories than fat coz fat burns zero calories. It really depends what you would like to do to your body first, get bigger or get more defined? I would also like to point out that if you go on a slow cut, 300-500kcal deficit a day, you will still be able to make some muscle. Calculate your daily calorie requirements ( harris-benedict, schofield or even just the 10-12x bodyweight rule), eat fewer calories on non-training days and more on training days (200-400kcal difference). Or if you really can't get to grips with calories etc, do the portion rule. A portion is about the size of a clenched fist. 6 times a day, have a portion of protein (Chicken breast, turkey breast,tuna, low-fat cottage cheese, lean steak), a portion of carbs (brown rice, wholewheat pasta, potato), some veg (tomatoes, onions, spinach etc) and a tablespoon of olive oil spread throughout the day.