To Bulk Or To Cut The Great Question

Pantherrrr

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Hi, I've been going to the gym for around six months and I'm not exactly glad about how my body has turned out but at the same time I am happy to see the gains no matter how small I've had.

I'm about 6'3 200lbs in my early 20s. I've been going to the gym consistently for around six months about four times a week. I train about two muscle groups each day. I do cardio each day I go to the gym, around 10-15 minutes before my workout each day.

My diet is not the best but I try to avoid fast food at all costs. Anything that's completely meaningless to eat such as fried food, but I do need help with a consistent diet that helps me build muscle and shed some fat. Not sure if doing both is possible. I also drink lots of water each day and consume organic protein since I'm lactose intolerant. About 40 grams of protein each day but sometimes I take two servings throughout the day which is about 75-80 grams of protein.


Now the dilemma I have is that after months my muscles seem to have grown at a considerably slow rate while my stomach fat has increased. I mean everything else literally has lost it's fat except for my mid area. I can proudly wear a tank top and show off my back, shoulders, and arms no problem. But my midsection along with my chest are taking the toll. I'll be sure to upload some pictures for you guys as well. Does anyone have any recommendations? At my wits end here watching my body gain muscle considerably slow and then my stomach get larger.
 

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If you want to look like an athlete, you must train and eat like an athlete.
Is your waist actually larger, i.e., do you have measuably more inches around your waist? You may just think your waist is larger because you're losing fat elsewhere.
By the way, lactose is dairy sugar. Whey protein has no carbs, therefore it has no lactose. If the whey protein you buy make you fart a lot or gives you the runs, it's most likely the artificial sweeteners in it. Try unflavored whey protein. You might think it tastes like cardboard at first, but you will get used to it. Remember: real athletes eat to improve their game, not to satisfy cravings for things sweet or fat.
 
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Download a nutrition app like MyFitnessPal and track what you eat. Stick to your calorie count.

If you can lose 5 pounds you’ll be bigly motivated to hit the weights and the diet/nutrition all the harder.
 

Pantherrrr

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Thank you guys. I downloaded the app and I’ll watch my calorie count, I also changed my protein to Whey but it triggered my intolerance so I’ll just take lactaid pills after it. I’ll try to increase my cardio as well. Not sure how many calories I should aim to burn off though.
 

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You need to eat a LOT more protein that 80 grams a day too. Up that cardio, more than double your protein intake and take progress photos. The pictures don't lie but looking in the mirror everyday can be frustrating to see gains.
 

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You need to eat a LOT more protein that 80 grams a day too. Up that cardio, more than double your protein intake and take progress photos. The pictures don't lie but looking in the mirror everyday can be frustrating to see gains.


Pictures do lie though! My body is so very photogenic on pictures for some reason, i look ripped with 6 packs + perky bubble butts + nice pecs and all on pictures. But in real life, i’m not seeing much of any of those, my butt is just normal size, my abs aren’t as define and my pecs aren’t even that buff either. Guys thought I photoshopped my body pics to look bigger than I really am. I have never photoshop any of my pictures.
 
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Pantherrrr

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You need to eat a LOT more protein that 80 grams a day too. Up that cardio, more than double your protein intake and take progress photos. The pictures don't lie but looking in the mirror everyday can be frustrating to see gains.
More than 80 grams???? Protein shake taste disgusting though :(

Edit: Alright will do
 

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More than 80 grams???? Protein shake taste disgusting though :(

Edit: Alright will do
You have to get out of the mindset that you "live to eat." Replace it with "eat yo live." Get your biological kicks from other endeavors rather than from the consumption of food.
 
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Pantherrrr

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You have to get out of the mindset that you "live to eat." Replace it with "eat yo live." Get your biological kicks from other endeavors rather than from the consumption of food.
It's just to pack in that much protein throughout the day is going to be tricky. Technically I would have to be drinking shakes at least twice a day while eating food packed with protein. It's possible but it'll be tricky. I'll increase the cardio no problem, does anyone recommend taking pre-workout shakes?
 
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socalfreak

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More than 80 grams???? Protein shake taste disgusting though :(

Edit: Alright will do
Who said the added protein had to come from shakes?
80 grams from food is very easily doable.
Shakes are a nice option to have, in certain circumstances..... But, real food should always be your first choice, when possible.
 

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Pictures do lie though! My body is so very photogenic on pictures for some reason, i look ripped with 6 packs + perky bubble butts + nice pecs and all on pictures. But in real life, i’m not seeing much of any of those, my butt is just normal size, my abs aren’t as define and my pecs aren’t even that buff either. Guys thought I photoshopped my body pics to look bigger than I really am. I have never photoshop any of my pictures.


That's exactly why you take pictures - they DON'T LIE. You look one way to yourself because you view it through your lens and we all have certain levels of body dysmorphia. The pictures however aren't hiding anything - that's how you really look. It's like when you hear yourself on recording. You don't think you sound like that - but you do. Take pictures. That's what you really look like.
 

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More than 80 grams???? Protein shake taste disgusting though :(

Edit: Alright will do

I'm a trainer. I'm telling you, if you're only getting 80 grams of protein a day and you are trying to put on muscle, you better only weight about 80lbs. Otherwise, you need more protein.
 
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My fitness pal should help with this but if not you need to figure out your macros. Fat, Carbs, Protein. an on line Macros calculator should give you a ball park. what percentage of calories comes from each group.
If you are active in work and with workouts, expect a high carb and high protein low fat ratio 45%C, 40%P, 15%F, as an example especially if you want to cut the belly.
if you want to bulk it will change just need to be honest with the questions the calculator asks.
good luck.
getting as much nutrition from real food is the way to go. lots of Chicken, Turkey, fFsh and some lean beef and pork beef will do the trick
 

Pantherrrr

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I'll try posting a progress picture tomorrow after my leg day or the day after which is my all muscle group day. I've made some progress but due to COVID it's been slowed. I think though, I might actually need a trainer since I've been the same mass for a while and need someone to give certain meal plans and workouts in order to help my body grow more.
 

socalfreak

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Well.... You're free to do whatever you think is necessary, obviously.
But, I'm thinking you could most likely look at your workouts and food intake and make adjustments on your own.
Logging everything you eat & lift can be a huge help here.
If you're lifting the same weights for the same reps, at some point you'll dead end your progress.
Same goes for food.
Same meals, same calories, same macros will only take you so far.
I'm not trying to turn you away from trainers altogether.
They have a place. I am one.
But, I think your progress will be more rewarding if you tinker with your program and find out what works best for your body.
 

Pantherrrr

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Okay so I didn’t do anything drastic. I don’t have a set meal plan (which I feel I now need since I want to get serious in the next upcoming months). I increased my protein intake to about 80-100 grams of protein a day. I know I know. Some of you guys said way more but that’s all I was able to stomach. I now think I can possibly digest more.



I also made sure to go to the gym more frequently and lift heavier weights.


So there’s a couple things I picked out that I think I have to do in order to build my body more. 1. Have a set meal plan to where I can actually eat efficiently. 2. Increase my cardio, I’ve went to go sign up for Muay Thai since I enjoy kickboxing and it’s not something boring like running on a treadmill. 3. Waking up earlier than before in order to gain as much as I can from the day.

With that said I have some questions for you guys if you would indulge me. One how in the world do you guys digest enough protein for your body weight without feeling like a sack of potatoes? Two is there any website I can use where I can just put in information and it comes up with a meal plan or do I have to get a trainer at this point? Three eating at night; is it a bad habit? I’ve searched online and I’ve heard different stories but I’m honestly wondering now if I should just cut off all food except for protein by a certain time. Please all your advice is definitely appreciated if you decide to share any information.
 

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Pantherrrr

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Well.... You're free to do whatever you think is necessary, obviously.
But, I'm thinking you could most likely look at your workouts and food intake and make adjustments on your own.
Logging everything you eat & lift can be a huge help here.
If you're lifting the same weights for the same reps, at some point you'll dead end your progress.
Same goes for food.
Same meals, same calories, same macros will only take you so far.
I'm not trying to turn you away from trainers altogether.
They have a place. I am one.
But, I think your progress will be more rewarding if you tinker with your program and find out what works best for your body.
Thank you so much I'm probably gonna get a journal, I've been using the recreational Planet fitness Gym but at this point I believe I would get more out of different gyms so I could have a wider variety of machines to use.

As for the meals, again I'm lazy. I have to admit. I haven't been researching enough to find a way to get the exact right meal plan for me. I tried myfitness pal but it only adjusted for weight/height not for muscle tone etc.

I also think my progress will be more rewarding if I don't use a trainer but at this point I find myself in the gym puzzled. It's like looking at grass grow and wondering if everything is still the same or progress has been made.
 

socalfreak

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Yeah... Learning about nutrition can be overwhelming for some. Good fats vs bad fats.... Glycemic index of carbs.. Etc, etc..
Read labels of things you eat whenever possible.
You'll get it. Just takes experience.

As far as knowing if you're making progress...
Here's a very easy way to tell...
Doesn't require any equipment.
No scale. No calipers. No picture comparisons.
How do your clothes fit?
Is the waistband of your pants getting tight? Then maybe look at your overall calorie intake/ carb/sugar intake and adjust it.
Shirt feeling tighter in the shoulders?
You're building muscle there.
You get the idea.
As mentioned earlier, it takes time and consistency to get results.

I don't know what your current diet looks like. So, I don't know why you are having difficulty getting in enough protein.
3 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of toast, and a cup of milk... That's right around 30 grams right out of the gate in one meal.
Lunch and dinner are usually even more protein-heavy for people.
A shake post workout and/or before bed can add another 30-40 grams each easily.

In my experience, most people come up short on their results for one of two reasons...
1- they bullshit themselves about their food intake.
2- they just go thru the motions in the gym.

It takes effort.
You get out of it what you put into it.
 
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I’m really curious what an average day of meals looks like for you. 80-100 grams of protein is nothing. I can nearly do that with breakfast and a post-workout shake. I’m also curious how you are calculating your macro intake.

You need to aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight at least. I’m 170-175 lbs and can hit my daily protein macro (170 grams) with 1 post workout shake, 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and (sometimes) a snack.