Hey guys, here's the crossroad first, then I have some background and pics to follow. Do I keep cutting or do I bulk? Here's my thoughts on this. I've lost a lot of weight overall, 100 lbs at least. If I keep cutting, I'm not too sure I'll be pleased with what's left. I'll be pretty skinny probably. Eventually, I'd like to show some ab action, but if there isn't a lot of good stuff to go with it, I don't wanna bother. But also, I don't wanna get to a point where I need to cut a helluva lot of fat. This is the first time I've ever been close to a point where I could contemplate "ending a cut," so any advice would be appreciated!

I've been plugging along at my daily routines, kicking it all in the butt as much as possible. In September, I got a gym membership and I've been focused on freeweights since then. Originally, I had started on a Weider Home Gym "machine.". Needless to say, I've made some huge improvements on my strength and fat loss.

I've been bringing my calories up for a few weeks now, I'm currently eating about 1750 per day at 152 lbs. I mentioned a few months ago I probably wasn't eating enough, so I took some action there. My macros are 50% Protein, 40% Carb, 20% fat. I've been very deligent about my diet lately, so this weekend I opted for a refeed since some personal stuff was gonna put the option in front of me.

I am to the point where I have developed some reasonable, basic strength, in my opinion. I am working out with significantly more weight than my own body weight for every big composite lift, up to 50% more in some cases. I've been making modest to large gains every week on every lift, save this last week for anything shoulder related due to an injury I sustained at Martial Arts training.

For Cardio I've been doing some moderate intesity stuff, running for up to 10k etc. I'm starting to get intretested in HIIT now since I don't look forward to running any distance during a harsh Michigan winter. I'll probably do some Tabata drills or Elliptical/Step machine stuff. Maybe some Muay Thai drills in a more HIIT style.

here's some current pics, (note on the front pic, my belly looks a lot bigger in the pic than it does in person, i think it's a shadow/body hair thing)

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff144/fullpen2k7/box_currentside.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff144/fullpen2k7/box_currentfront.jpg

Your going to get all sorts of info if you research this topic. It seems it's one that lots of people wonder about. Should I bulk or should I cut. No exception here. You are going to get those people who say that you should cut until you are resonably down on your bodyfat, say 10%, before you attempt to gain muscle. Thibaudeau has a very interesting article about this.

Others will tell you that gaining muscle has to do with how you train and how you eat to support the bulk, it doesn't matter if your cut. Build the muscle now and shred the fat later.

So the choice is yours. I'm about your size and weight. I wanted to get down to about 10 percent bodyfat before my bulk but doing so would have required me to lose about 7 more pounds. I looked at myself in the mirror and I thought I looked too skinny so losing more weight was not an option for me. This might not matter to you and you could continue to cut. Either way good luck.

I read some of your older stuff, very inspiring. It really comes down to what you think about how you look. You've lost alot of weight in a very short amount of time, so you've had to adjust the way you think about your body very quickly. I'm still at a BF % of 25, but when I do get close to 10%, I think I'll probably think I'm too sticky, despite what the reading says. Bulk or Cut, either way I'm positive you're better equipped to do either than you were when you started. Both would work with your body, I think.

However, to not be wishy-washy (one of my pet-peeves), I would bulk :). It's the time of year when most people doing it the unhealthy way, but you'll able to do it the right way and look good in clothes.