well, about 3 months ago I weighed in at 214, then a few weeks later I decided to do something, weighed in at 210 that day, and started eating healthy/excersicing again. I have always been in decent shape, just carrying a few extra pounds. anyways, I initially wanted to drop to about 185, today I weighed in at 184.5... but i still look kinda pudgy. So I guess im going to keep cutting down until Im happy. I should probably get my body fat figured out, I would like to reach about 10% by summer. I "think" im around 15-18% right now.

After I do reach a good body fat in a few months, I want to start bulking, but im really concerned about making myself look chunky again for summer, what do you guys reccomend? should I just maintain over summer, or do a slow clean bulk?

well, about 3 months ago I weighed in at 214, then a few weeks later I decided to do something, weighed in at 210 that day, and started eating healthy/excersicing again. I have always been in decent shape, just carrying a few extra pounds. anyways, I initially wanted to drop to about 185, today I weighed in at 184.5... but i still look kinda pudgy. So I guess im going to keep cutting down until Im happy. I should probably get my body fat figured out, I would like to reach about 10% by summer. I "think" im around 15-18% right now.

After I do reach a good body fat in a few months, I want to start bulking, but im really concerned about making myself look chunky again for summer, what do you guys reccomend? should I just maintain over summer, or do a slow clean bulk?

Well I don't know what you should do next, but WOW. Congrats on losing 26 pounds! I think you should celebrate (in a healthy way)... if it were me, I would be out buying shoes or something.

Thanks purly. Aside from the thoughts of "I still look fat" that happend almost every day, it was actually quite easy to lose. just have to stick to it.

Have you been doing just cardio or have you been lifting? Perhaps you need to bulk up with a little muscle, then proceed with another cut. Personally I think your weight is around the spot on for your height. But I am no professional so take my advice cautiously.

I am about your height and I think when I get down there I am going to be pretty skinny. My goal is to be around 210-225 with around 10%

I have been hitting the weights, I have actually lifted for about 8 years on and off. I also have a very physical job, so I have decent muscle mass, which is why I never minded being heavier, I just looked kinda beefy (or so I made myself beleive). its a hard choice, I would just love to have a summer with low body fat, even if my muscle mass suffers slightly. just for a change.

Myself I have such a big frame I feel like if I got myself down to that weight I would pretty lean. Keep eating well and exercising and you will meet your goals. You have done good already. :tucool:

I am about your height and I think when I get down there I am going to be pretty skinny.

I have been hitting the weights, I have actually lifted for about 8 years on and off. I also have a very physical job, so I have decent muscle mass, which is why I never minded being heavier, I just looked kinda beefy (or so I made myself beleive).

Both of these quotes remind me of my own experience. When I started my transformation in 2005, I was at 209 lbs (6'-0" tall) and, although I didn't know my BF%, I felt like I was a pretty "beefy" guy with decent muscle mass. I thought I would eventually get down to the mid-180's and be fairly ripped at around 10-12% BF.

Over the last 2-1/2 years, I cleaned up my diet, have eaten at slightly below maintenance and hit the weights pretty hard. I also learned alot more about lean mass and body composition during that time. The net result is that I am now down to 187 lbs, have more muscle than ever and yet am probably no lower than 16% BF. :bang:

IOW, when I started a slow cut at 209 lbs, I thought I already had enough muscle to leave me with ~165 lbs lean mass once I got down near 10%. Turns out that, even with the muscle I have added, my lean mass is probably more like mid-150's. :blank:

In the mirror, what I now see is that despite my steady muscle increases, once I get down anywhere near 10% I will definitely be a "pretty skinny" guy. Especially in street clothes.

I now expect to finally end this VERY long and slow cut at around 172 lbs and will have a serious bulking process (15 lbs of lean mass) ahead of me to get anywhere near what is needed to acheive 185 lbs at 10% BF.

All of these years, I thought I was probably a meso-endomorph. Turns out I was probably an ecto-endo. :lol:

do you have before / after pics ?

they will let you know whether or not youre really still fat.... i need to look at my before almost every day cause i still think i'm fat otherwise most of the time.