To cut or not?

[Pique]

Hi All,

I'm 8 months removed from finally getting fed up of being a skinny dweeb - I started weight training and bulking last November (134lbs @ 5'9). My aim was always to bulk as cleanly as possible so my diet has always been fairly good (with the odd pepperoni pizza my weakness), and I have gained 29lbs to date (163lbs), which feels great. However, I do feel like I've put on a bit too much fat - I do have body image issues so I don't know if I am worrying over nothing but a colleague did remark that I was a bit 'chubby in the face' the other day, which hurts when you're used to being built like a racing snake.

So I am thinking about adjusting things a bit to reduce my body fat which I calculate at about 15-16%. I tried cutting my calorie intake for a couple of days, but struggled to find healthier alternatives so just ended up eating less. I tried to continue my weight lifting program as before but just felt totally weak and drained of energy. Given the fact that summer will be over before I can do a good cutting cycle (8+ weeks) I am wondering if it is worthwhile doing something as extreme as cutting 500+ calories per day.

So my second option is to tweak things in my diet to clean it up as much as possible, eating the same volume so as not to feel tired/hungry but slowly reducing fat. My everyday diet consists of something like:

Breakfast : Cereal + Natural Yogurt or Peanut Butter on toast
10am : Peanut Butter Sarnie
Lunch: 2-3 turkey breasts with cous cous or noodles / 1 can tuna + pasta
Tea : I eat a fairly normal dinner given the OH eats too, but it's normally pretty healthy - Chile + brown rice, Pasta, Chicken etc.

The only supplements I currently take are 2 scoops whey protein + 1/2 pint of semi skimmed milk after workouts.

The third option is to mix in some cardio in between lifting days. However given that I lift 3 times a week for 1hr 30 each, and work 50 hours a week, I'm usually not in the mood for exercise on my days off! So maybe you guys can help me find a way to get my abs back - they were all I had when I was thin!

Sorry for the long winded post, but I'm at a crossroads at the moment! As a weight lifting newbie it feels great to put a bit of bulk on - but now I don't know what to do with it

[Pique]

Efbe said:

edit: If you are to tired to exercise, then change the time you work out at

Can't really do much about this one - I workout at home so banging the weights about at 6am won't make me popular with the neighbours. By the time I get home from work at 6pm and do 90 minutes of training I'm just about ready to eat then turn in.

Hoofy said:

Evening, fatty.

Not helping

Hoofy said:

I can send you an HIIT routine that I've given others that has got results if you want

That would be great! I retired from playing football last year so I should take to cardio pretty easily but it would explain why I've filled out so much recently...

[Pique]

Efbe said:

and pullups.
deadlifts and pullups would actually have most of your body covered!

Already doing both

[Pique]

SirSamuelBuca said:

there is one flaw with your diet. and that is the amount of bread you eat. I had same problem of putting alot of muscle on and getting a bit of fat round my tummy (i am about 15%) this was from eating peanut butter and toast everyday 2-4 rounds of bread a day. Lay off that try to get about 2800+ calories a day and keep at it you will get lower bf and more muscle but its a slow process you have done well for 8 months

Edited by SirSamuelBuca on Thursday 26th July 15:54

Thanks for the suggestions chaps I will let you know how it goes!

I think I will swap out the sarnie as suggested (I use the thickest white bread I can get as well ) and try a shake and some almonds as suggested, or maybe peanut butter on ryvita instead Is peanut butter good? Some places say it is but it's pretty high in fat.

I am also going to try 30 minutes of HIIT on the OH's exercise bike on my non-lifting weekdays.

ETA Just checked my mail - Thanks for the routine Hoofy. Do you recommend that everyday or just on non-lifting days?

Edited by Pique on Thursday 26th July 19:12

Edited by Pique on Thursday 26th July 19:25

[Pique]

Leptons said:

For lunch you have 2-3 TURKEY breasts? Surely not, that would take some eating...

Sorry I should have clarified this - 2-3 turkey breast steaks (I just buy a big pack from the supermarket) so maybe 150 - 200g turkey. So much cheaper than chicken too!

[Pique]

fatpasty said:

I thought Turkey was more ??

I get mine from Waitrose - 450g for about £4. Chicken is about £7 if I remember correctly, i don't even look at it anymore.