Hey all! I initially had decided to NOT keep a journal on the fitness forums as I already keep lift, cardio and food journals and thought that this might be overkill. I’ve decided that I’ll post one on here anyway for motivational purposes so here goes.

I started a cutting phase exactly 4 weeds ago. My goal was to get to 10% bodyfat in 12 weeks. My stats when I started were:

Age: 31
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 150 Lbs
Bodyfat: 16.8%
Waist: 31”

For the first (2) weeks I followed this plan:

Saturday: Biceps/Legs/Abs/Cardio – 30 Minutes @ 80% MHR
Sunday: Chest/Back/Abs /Cardio – 30 Minutes @ 80% MHR
Monday: Cardio – 30 Minutes @ 80% MHR
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Shoulders/Traps/Triceps/Abs/Cardio – 30 Minutes @ 80% MHR
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Cardio – 30 Minutes @ 80% MHR

Cardio is always performed first thing in the morning and weight workouts always at least 8 hours after cardio is finished. I always try to keep my weight workouts as intense as possible using a 6 to 8 rep range for 3 to 4 sets per excercise.

Calorie intake: 2250 using a 20% Fat (Good fats only), 50% Protein and 30% Carb (Complex only). My calorie requirement figured at 2466 maintenance calories taking into account my cardio and weight activity. This put me at a calorie deficit of 216 cals per day for the first 2 weeks.

Then for the last (2) weeks I followed the same plan except for I modified my cardio to 45 minutes @ 65-70% MHR keeping the same 5 day cardio schedule. I also decreased my calorie intake to 1940 keeping the same fat/protein/carb ratio. This puts me at a 500 calorie deficit per day for this past two weeks.

My “Weigh In” stats as of last Friday were:

Weight: 147 LBS
Bodyfat: 14.8 %
Waist: 30” (exactly)

At this point my strength has not suffered from my cutting. Also my arm size remains the same although I can say that they are a lot more defined and vascular. I have lost about ½ inches off of my chest but it appears to be from fat as I get a lower measurement with the bodyfat calipers on my chest.

It has been one month since I started so I have 8 weeks left to go until I hit my 12 week mark. Not sure if I’ll reach 10% bodyfat by then…but I’m going to try my hardest. I’ll update my “weigh in” every Friday!

Thanks again for any and all help that you guys have provided me with in my last month since joining the forum!

Still hacking away at the cutting. Been eating an average of 1920 cals per day. 50% Protein, 30% Carbs and 20% Fats

My current stats as of last friday (week 5) are as follows:

Weight: 145 LBS
Bodyfat: 11.8 %
Waist: 29.75”
Arms: 14.25 (cold/unpumped)

I'm pretty amazed so far. I'm loosing bodyfat without loosing alot of weight. I thought that I'd be at a much lower bodyweight by the time I hit 10 to 12%. It seems as though I've put on a little lean mass. This is definately a good thing as abviously my goal was not to loose weight it was to loose fat.

At 11.8 % bodyfat my abs are beginning to show (depending on the light source some more than others). Anterior Serratus (rib muscles right below the pecs on each side) are coming out quite nicely. I really have no doubt at this point that I'll reach my initial goal of 10% bodyfat within the next 7 weeks. Problem is...now that I'm getting this close to 10% bodyfat I can tell that I'm going to have to cut to around 8% to see my abs completely. At this point I don't think I'll be satisfied until I can see full abdominal developement not cameflouged with bodyfat. If I can reach 8% bodyfat and not go any lower than 140 lbs bodyweight.........I'd be very pleased.

Based on my current progress does anyone have an idea of whether or not it would be possible for me to reach an 8% bodyfat level without going below 140 lbs? If so, at the rate I've been loosing how long do you figure it would take to reach 8% bodyfat from my current 11.8% level?

My current stats as of today, 10/22/04 (week 6) are as follows:

Weight: 144 LBS
Bodyfat: 10.8 %
Waist: 29”
Arms: 14.25 (cold/unpumped)

At 10.8% it looks like I can trim about another 1/2" - 3/4" off of my waist before I'm left with only muscle in that area. 10% bodyfat is definately within my grasp and to top it all off, I am way ahead of schedule. At this rate I'll probably not stop cutting for another 6 weeks and whatever bodyfat I end up with is fine. I think my new goal will be 8% but again....I've already met my 10% goal so anything extra is a bonus! :claplow:

My current stats as of today, 11/01/04 are as follows:

Weight: 146.8 LBS
Bodyfat: 9.9 %
Waist: 29”
Arms: 14.25 (cold/unpumped)

Almost 8 weeks into by cutting phase and I've cracked the 10% bodyfat mark and met my initial goal. My plan is just to keep cutting for the next 4 to 5 weeks and see where I can get. As stated in a previous post my new goal is 8%.

At this point I "can" see some ab development. I'd like to cut further to fully bring out my abs and remove whats left of these blasted "love handles". I still have a thin layer of fat covering my abs on the bottom two rows of my six pack (top row stands out nicely though....oh well just call me two-pac.........lol). My pants fit quite a bit looser now. If I take off my belt...they just fall down...when I walk..period. I know I've put some lean mass on because my shirts are fitting a bit snugger across the chest and in my arms.

Still following the same weight training and cardio plan. I have noticed during the last week or so that I've been getting more wore out by the end of my 45 minute cardio session. This started really ever since I hit the 10% mark. Also noticed that I'm sweating more during my cardio sessions than previously. Some days to the point where it's literally pouring off of me. I wonder if it is corelated to increased metabolism.

At this point..I can hardly wait for the end of this cutting cycle so I can maintain for a month and then start a clean bulk! Hopefully I can do so and still maintain a somewhat lean mid section. I don't think I 'd want to bulk to a point where my bodyfat was more than 10%.

11/5/04

Weight: 142.4 LBS
Bodyfat: 9.3 %
Waist: 29”
Arms: 14.125 Cold

Still making progress. For the last (8) weeks I've been loosing approx. .95 lbs/week. Bodyfat checked at 9.3% @ 142.4 lbs this morning. Still don't have a full 6 pack...but the top 2 rows are showing pretty good right now....not so much from the front but I can see them from a side pose real well. I'm much more vascular now. I love having that huge vein running down the top of my bicep showing..among many others. Even though I've made good progress at this point, I feel like I'm so close..but yet so far away from where I want to be. It's a constant process of evaluation and re-evaluation of goals. A week ago I thought 8% bodyfat would be sufficient. Now it appears that for me it may be closer to 6 to 7%. I'm not loosing any strength to speak of and have actually increased weight in my lifts last week....so I might as well shoot for the top and aim for 6 to 7% bodyfat by December 10, 2004. If I keep hacking away at it... know I'll get there!

I'm going to try to get some photo's taken this weekend.....if I can talk my wife into taking the pictures..lol. I think it will help me weigh my progress some.

January 1st I plan on enlisting the help of Swolecat's "SUP2" to pack on some lean mass with a minimal amount of bodyfat. I've had good luck adding lean mass on my own...but I think this program will take some of the guesswork out of it..........I'm definately looking forward to the new year!

BTW..I forgot to include this in my intial post with goals: My official goal as of now is 6 - 7% bodyfat by December 25, 2004.

Yesterday's workout was Chest & Back. I managed to keep the inensity level at it's max throughout the whole workout. As a matter of fact it was the first time in a very long time that I've finished my workout with an almost irrisistable urge to hurl................lol. I hope I can maintain this level of intensity from here on out.

11/16/04

Weight: 142 LBS
Bodyfat: 9.2 %
Waist: 29”
Arms: 14.125 Cold

Well, it seems that after amazing progress over the first 8 weeks that I am officially stuck in a rut. For the last week and a half I've been stuck at around 9% bodyfat. Due to this platue I've reduced my caloric intake to approx. 1600 cals per day (previously was at 1800). I'm still hacking away at the 5 day per week 70% MHR early morning cardio. I'm thinking of adding an extra 20 minutes of very low impact cardio in the form of an excersise bike during the evenings for 20 minutes @ 50-60 MHR. Hopefully this will kickstart my fat loss again. I'm extremely pleased with the fact that I've cracked the 10% mark in less than 8 weeks. I suppose I could stop at this point and try to bulk.........but I really don't want to stop until I reach my new goal of 6-7% bodyfat. I at least need to prove to myself that I can do it. I haven't lost any lean mass to this date.....but I need to be sure that in an effort to re-energize my fatloss that I don't loose any muscle.

Weight: 140.5 LBS
Bodyfat: 8.4 %
Waist: 28.75”
Arms: 14.125 Cold

My calorie reduction seems to have worked. After being stuck for two weeks @ 9.5% bodyfat, I dropped my calories 200-300 per day from 11/16/04-present and was able to re-energized my fat loss. Last night my bodyfat measured 8.4%. Once again...I can feel my goal within my grasp! My official end date is Christmas Day which leaves me approx. 4 weeks left of my cutting plan. I figure I'll just continue until then..and be happy with whatever my end result is. I've already far surpassed my expectations with my original goal being 10%. My original plan was to start a bulking phase right after the new year....but after reading alot of info on the site....it is highly recommended to eat at maintenance for a month before switching between a cutting and bulking phase. This being the case...by new start date for bulking will be Feb. 1st.

hi
Awesome effort on ur body,keep up the good work , could u spill some light on my workout and diet and suggest me somethings to attain my goal which i feel i am not being able to, but the goals of mine look very similar to yours and i want o be on the same path as u have done in the past few weeks to loose little weight and put on lean muscle with lowering the BF.

I am 5ft 7 inches , male , 28 yrs and weigh 149 pounds.
My goal is to have lean shapely body with body fat around 10% so that the abs can be seen and then i can bulk a little maintaining the same body fat percentage, my main goal is complete V shape upper body with my abs in good form, I am a bit stocky in my tummy

I have been a regular in my workouts for past 3 months and i have reduced 4 pounds and i can say i have put on some muscle also. The problem is from past one month my weight is constant

I am a eggatarian in diet and i can eat cheese and eggs besides vegetarian diets, thought here are many diets in this site non of them are vegetarian and thus its beena alittle tough to at least copy some others diet and try to implement it as i do not have very good knowledge in that area

I have my diet listed down below... How do we exactly get the no of calories from protein, carb and fat as i cook at home also and on the things i buy they sat total calories, calories from fat etc etc.. gets me all confused. If possible could u tell me the intake in my calories from protein, fat and carbs and is it enough or what changes i need to make in my food and workout.

My normal daily diet routine is as folows

>7:30 am Protein shake - whey protein 1 scoop(25 gm)with water

>8:00 am - Go-lean cereal with milk, 1 egg white

>11:00 am - 1 cup green tea

>11:30 am - lunch 1 cup rice with little cooked vegetables with spices

>3:00 pm - 1 cup of flavoured non fat yogurt, small amount of almounds

>5:45 pm - 1 egg white and a little amount of almounds

>6:45 to 8:30 pm work out

>8:45 pm - whey protein with water 1.5 scoop

>9:30 pm - Dinner 2 small wheat tortillas with vegetable curry,some cooked pulses and small cup of plain yogurt and a small salad with 1 spoon olive oil.


Now about my workout routine

For 1st 2 months i did only cardio, abs and stretching exercises and from past 1 month i am doing weight training also

My workout is as follows

Monday
Legs(1:15 hr) and cardio(30 mins)

Tuesday
Chest and triceps(1:15 hr) and cardio(30 mins)

Wednesday
Cardio(1:15 hr ) and abs and stretching (30 mins)

Thursday
Back and Biceps(1:15 hr) and cardio(30 mins)

Friday
Shoulders and arms(1:15 hr) and cardio(30 mins)

Saturday
Cardio(1:15 hr) and abs & stretching(30 mins)

Sunday
NO workout

This is the normal routine, i might change the days
but pretty much consistent

I have cheat meal once a week at least during weekend
but i dont make very bad use of it.

I have the dedication to stick to proper workout but its becoming difficult to get exact calculation of calories, fat etc as i cook food most of the time and its hard to find out the exact number of calories etc from that

regards

Weight: 139 LBS
Bodyfat: 8.4% *Haven't checked bodyfat level since my previous post*
Waist: 28.0”
Arms: 14.25 Cold

Still moving along on my cutting plan. Over the past (8) days I've been averaging 1500 cals per day in combination with my same cardio/lifting/macronutrient routine. I measured my waist on Saturday, Nov. 27th and it measures exactly 28". This means I've dropped 2" off of my waist in about 8.5 weeks. What is left of my "love handles" is finally melting away. I'm "guestimating" that another 1/2" off my waist and my love handles will be completely abolished! Realisitically I think it is very feesible to think that within the next 4 weeks of my cutting phase I'll remove the last amount of "blub" around my waist. At last check on November 21st my bodyfat measurements averaged in at 8.4%. I've decided not to check my bodfat level again until Dec. 11th which will be exactly (2) weeks away from the end of my 12 week cutting cycle.

I really like the "lean" look. My plan is to do a very slow bulk when I do it as not to add much fat if any and maintain "some" ab visibility through the entire process. I know this can be done......it just takes alot longer to bulk to your desired level this way. Oh well.....if it's one thing that I do have..is patients! :)

Weight: 139 LBS
Bodyfat: 8.4% *Haven't checked bodyfat level since my previous post*
Waist: 28.0”
Arms: 14.25

Well, change of plans. One of my initial goals was to try to achieve ab developement without falling below 140 lbs. Unfortunately, if I keep cutting I'm going to be well under 140 lbs by the time I'm satisfied with my ab developement being visible. I've decided to change my plan of attack and of coarse, BULK in order to increase muscle mass and my metabolism!

Here's the story: I was going through some old "band" pictures from 3 years ago last night and I couldnt' get over the size of my arms in those pictures. They were "HUGE"! Granted, I was carrying alot of bodyfat in my midsection (slightly under 20%)....but damn my arms looked good...plus they were hard solid a rock! In those pictures I weighed in at around 180 lbs. and my arms were around 16". With my small frame @ 180 lbs I looked like a freakin monster compared to the rest of the guys in the band! Unfortunately the "first" time that I tried to cut bodyfat I was uneducated in the proper way to "cut". I did way too much cardio for way too long and somewhat starved myself, which resulted in me loosing weight too quickly and ultimately, a loss of quite a bit of lean mass and I lost 1 1/2" off of my arms, about 2 years of results from hard work in the gym. Fortunately, this time around when I "cut" I was more educated and I managed to successfully drop 8% of bodyfat without loosing any LBM.

With the accomplishments that I've made over the last 10 weeks through "smart" cardio, heavy weight training and diet I am cofident that after this bulk I will come out ahead in the long run. I now know how to successfully cut to achieve my desired results so whatever fat that I do put on during this bulk I will be able to remove in about 10 - 12 weeks!

I'm taking a week off to recoup from this cutting phase. This will also free up some time to plan my bulking phase and get everything in order. I plan to start Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004. I'm excited about the prospect of adding some lean mass! Now if I could just get over this fear of increasing my calories for bulking which I know will cause an increase in "some" extra bodyfat........... :mad: LOL. At this point my goal is to bulk until I reach a bodyfat level of 16% (where I started during this last cutting phase) or April 30th....which ever comes first. This way I can cut for 12 weeks and have my bodyfat levels in check by July 4th! I plan to start a new "bulking" journal when I begin. I'll keep you posted as to my progress.