I am on my seventh week of cutting. I do cardio 6 days a week. It ranges from 5 miles (35-40 minutes of running) to spinning (45 minutes semi HIIT) to flat out elliptical (45-50 mins of 65%-75% HR).

My diet is clean. I'll eat a bagel and have some tea in the morning with non-calorie natural sweeteener (stevia). Lunch is a turkey or grilled chicken sandwich with fruit and then I eat fruits and veggies and lean proteins in the afternoon with some pretzels and goldfish for extra carbs. I eat til I'm 80% full, and I stop. I try to graze all day and eat small meals. I have 1-2 cheat meals a week.

I have dropped from about 12-14% to about 10-11%. My top 4 abs are visible, but I have noticed that my abs are apparently very small. I only work them once a week for about 8 sets, so I plan to boost that to 3-4 times a week for about 12 sets.

However, I want lower bf. My jawline looks good but I want to get all the fat off my lower abs and the last off of my face. Although I am not big, I have enough size that I want for now. My goal is to look like a friend of a friend, Maxwell Zagorski (http://www.mostbeautifulman.com/sambagblog/55.shtml). As you can see by his black and white pictures, he is not big by any means, but he's lean and his face shows well. I happen to have the same face shape and bone structure, and unfortunately I am having trouble getting to it.

Currently, my weights are 3 times a week. I do shoulders one day, back and bis another, and chest and tris another. Sometimes I'll alter them. I do 9 sets of 12-15 reps per muscle group, usually 3 different exercises to hit every part of what I'm trying for.

So here's the deal, I return to college for my junior year in exactly 4 weeks from monday. I'm not far from my goal, and I want to get to it just in time. Since I am a former marathon runner (but i did them with 15% bf, go figure), I have endurance. I want to do cardio twice a day, most likely 5 miles on the treadmill in the morning and 45 LISS on the elliptical at night after weights. I might substitute the treadmill for elliptical or the PM elliptical for spinning, depending on the day.

Anyways, how much and what should I eat? I just stick to lots of fruits (mainly blueberries and other berries) and try to stick to lean meats. Goldfish and pretzels are as bad as I go, as I only eat wheat breads and mustard.

Few other minor notes that might help:
-I haven't been taking a multivitamin recently, for some reason I don't crap as often and I wonder if that affects me.
-I try to drink a lot of water, but a lot of times it's substituted for tea. I need to boost it to 1 gallon, instead of about a half gallon as it is right now
-I have a slow metabolism, I've been at about 15-18% bf all my life. I'm just now changing, and I want to drop it into single digits and keep it there for years

If you have any other questions, please post them and I will respond to them as fast as I can. I want to look like this guy, and I've been trying hard to do it. For the record, I had my friend ask him, and apparently he "runs on a treadmill alot and lifts weights 4 times a week and doesn't diet". I wish we could all be as lucky.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Also, for the record, I'm 5'10" and 145 lbs. Nearly 21 years old. 10-11% bf, as mentioned before.

Are you lifting weights at all? How bad are your cheat meals and what are they composed of? Are they just enough to keep your hormones from slowing down the metabolism, or are they truly horrendous? I think the general idea as far as a refeeding meal is to up the carbs, not saturated fats/sugars.

I found that mexican food works well for refeeding. Beans, spanish rice, and a few tortillas are all carbs w/o a lot of fats. The salsa's are a good way to tang up the meal so you really feel like its worthy of a cheat meal. :drool:

EDIT: Also, for the record, I'm 5'10" and 145 lbs. Nearly 21 years old. 10-11% bf, as mentioned before.

And how do you propose to get to 6 and 7% bf? You simply don't have enough muscle to work with to get to that number in an efficient manner. It can be done but you'll look waaaay too thin and probably gangly, trust me. Also, trying to stay at a bf% lower than your genetically pre-disposed setpoint can wreck havoc on your endocrine system. Simply put, your body will fight you hormonally to return to a more natural bf. The only way you'll hold a number that low based on your current weight (requiring you to dip lower) is through a lot of supplementation. Unless you KNOW what you're doing....I guarantee you'll fawk yourself up.

Give this a thorough read before you contemplate the route you're considering as it lays it out in the open really well:

http://www.mindandmuscle.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=20995&hl=

and this one

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=351211&postcount=5


I suggest an alternative:

More food, more protein, more weight-training (always striving to lift heavier), and most importantly... more time. Give it a good 3-5 years of training.....slowly concentrating on bulking but not in the traditional sense (eating lots of crap composed of saturated fats). Make it high fiber, slow burning carbs, quality lean protein sources, fish oils, more variety of the monounsaturated fatty acids (olives,olive oil, avocados, walnuts (more PUFA's but a good dose of MUFA),pecans etc...) fruits and fibrous veggies.

Have you read the sticky threads?

Your diet is not the worst I've seen, but it's pretty bad. You also need to train your legs. :)

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=13934

He did fine on just running and diet.

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=13934

He did fine on just running and diet.

Problem is it's a numbers game..... You're at his weight currently but a higher bodyfat.

To get to a lower percent, you will either have to drop weight....which will include muscle along with fat or gain weight in the form of LBM and some acceptable fat. You're not going to be able to exclusively target fat loss....at least not in a short period of time and not without knocking off some muscle for the ride....imo.

So you'll be ripped but really stringy. More akin to a distance runner. If that's acceptable then yes lots of running. Low fat diet, good hydration will get you to your goal. In 4 weeks is tough and takes a lot of work.

I'd still advise against it.

The goal picture is probably not how you'll wind up. My nickel.


Here, these 2 posts kinda get to the heart of what I'm trying to explain without me having to do a bunch more typing ;)

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=224870&postcount=15

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=225479&postcount=34

EDIT: Also, for the record, I'm 5'10" and 145 lbs. Nearly 21 years old. 10-11% bf, as mentioned before.

Christ man, you are one skinny fella. You will be spinning your wheels into anorexicville if you try to drop any more fat. Actually, you probably have no chance to safely and effectively making it below where you are now. You hardly have much muscle mass to make it. And to look like that skinny A&F model, you will need to probably put on at least 15lbs of muscle.

I know it's harsh, but it clear to me that you need to start putting on weight. 3x/wk fullbody routine stressing HEAVY compound lifts. Drop the damn cardio. Start by eating at maintenance and begin boosting that suppressed metabolism. You're 21- use all that testosterone while you have it.

If you drop anymore weight, you will weigh close to what my ex-girlfriend weighs. That is not something you want to do, take a long, hard look at the suggestions about not cutting..

I think Sugar Ray Leonard was around 5' 10" and 145 lbs at one point, and he didn't look like anyones girlfriend. :p

I know, he was probably at a much lower BF, but I couldn't resist.

I think Sugar Ray Leonard was around 5' 10" and 145 lbs at one point, and he didn't look like anyones girlfriend. :p

I know, he was probably at a much lower BF, but I couldn't resist.

Well he certainly looked like Hector Camacho's girlfriend after he attempted that comeback :p

NO OFFENSE LADIES!! IT WAS A JOKE!

Today at the gym I got a few stats

Height: 5'9" and a half
Weight: 147 lbs
BF: tested after I had already done 6 sets of shoulders, 6.7%. Most likely, it's about 9-10%
Benchpress: 205 lbs
1 mile: 5:11

Most of the personal trainers were doubting against me putting up 200 lbs, after I put up 205, they were impressed.

I think I'm right on track with the thread I posted above, and I don't think I will look similar to the guy I posted in the original thread. Is that what you all define as "too skinny"?

Thoughts?

Post a picture.

But honestly, trying to hit 140-142 is a dumb idea. You will be too skinny.


Today at the gym I got a few stats

Height: 5'9" and a half
Weight: 147 lbs
BF: tested after I had already done 6 sets of shoulders, 6.7%. Most likely, it's about 9-10%
Benchpress: 205 lbs
1 mile: 5:11

Most of the personal trainers were doubting against me putting up 200 lbs, after I put up 205, they were impressed.

I think I'm right on track with the thread I posted above, and I don't think I will look similar to the guy I posted in the original thread. Is that what you all define as "too skinny"?

Thoughts?

Post a picture.

But honestly, trying to hit 140-142 is a dumb idea. You will be too skinny.

I'll take one tomorrow, I look alot like DLiquid's avatar a few posts up. My ab definition is the same, my chest and arms are slightly larger though.

Yep, not much left to cut. Last year I was exactly where you are now at the same bodyweight and height, and when I cut past 9% I was pretty scrawny. I vote: maintain for a while. Enjoy the fact that now it'll be very hard to put on fat. Eat whatever. :drool:

Yep, not much left to cut. Last year I was exactly where you are now at the same bodyweight and height, and when I cut past 9% I was pretty scrawny. I vote: maintain for a while. Enjoy the fact that now it'll be very hard to put on fat. Eat whatever. :drool:

http://www.mostbeautifulman.com/sambagblog/Maxwell%20Zagorski/maxwell006a9ox.jpg

Again, this is the guy I met once that I want to look like. He's quite small, and thats why I want to finish off what I has. His bf, is what, 6%? I am bigger than this. If you can't tell, he's not huge.

I am on my seventh week of cutting. I do cardio 6 days a week. It ranges from 5 miles (35-40 minutes of running) to spinning (45 minutes semi HIIT) to flat out elliptical (45-50 mins of 65%-75% HR).

Currently, my weights are 3 times a week. I do shoulders one day, back and bis another, and chest and tris another. Sometimes I'll alter them. I do 9 sets of 12-15 reps per muscle group, usually 3 different exercises to hit every part of what I'm trying for.

Do you think because you do the running, cycling, and elliptical, that you are working your legs?

Do you do really heavy deadlifts as part of your back work? I'm guessing no.

I think you will have an easier time if you straighten this out.

Do you think because you do the running, cycling, and elliptical, that you are working your legs?

Do you do really heavy deadlifts as part of your back work? I'm guessing no.

I think you will have an easier time if you straighten this out.


Agreed. The more I work legs/back, the more I improve body comp everywhere. It's a more efficient way to spend workout time, as they are bigger muscles and are more metabolically expensive to work. 5 minutes doing deep squats is probably worth more than 3x the time spent doing curls.

Looks more like a heroin addiction to me, but to each his own.

6%? Hmm, I'm not sure.


http://www.mostbeautifulman.com/sambagblog/Maxwell%20Zagorski/maxwell006a9ox.jpg

Again, this is the guy I met once that I want to look like. He's quite small, and thats why I want to finish off what I has. His bf, is what, 6%? I am bigger than this. If you can't tell, he's not huge.

Abercrombie ads make threads kinda weird. It's their photography. Sorry.