Recent pics, bf estimates welcome!

[< <Samson> >]

Looking damn decent bro

This diet shit is the hardest, I am just trying my best to stick to real whole food. Seems to be working very slowly so far.

[zaggahamma]

Agree with samson

Lean and thick...seeing big time vascularity too

W2g and being patient with the sick crap

The work is showing

[SEOINAGE]

Thanks, expect a lot more progress soon.

[Chicagotarsier]

Your pic makes me want to do 2 a days to get there faster. You might want to be lower bf but you lookin beefcake.

Well I am up some pounds and it shows. between being sick, had 5 days off diet when I was at my worst, was sick 3 weeks, got sinus infection, just started antibiotics, 4 days off for my vacation. I was up to like 209 lbs, down a bit now, dieting hard last week and a half. I don't think I look too bad, but man my waist size is up a lot. Makes me wonder how I am going to transition into a bulk without just getting fat, I will recomp or maintain for a while, but still, I really didn't eat that much. Losing some water retention from peptides recently, this pic was taken last week. Performance is up a lot lately, not getting sick while lifting anymore, and light headedness is gone so far, calories drop significantly more next week, so we will see how that goes.

Attachment 150294

[krask028]

I certainly don't blame you for wanting to stay under 15%. I'm sure there are a lot of football players over that. When I get asked that, or ask what team do you play for I have no clue what to say. I usually get those comments when I am larger. Now I get comments like I look like I'm dying or I look like someone on a deserted island starving. Maybe it's the beard.

Did someone say... WIIIIIIIILLLLLLLSSSSSSSOOOOOOOONNNNNN!!!!

[SEOINAGE]

Pretty much. I decided to shave, was curious what I looked like. Which resulted in a bunch more stupid and annoying comments, but at least I look damn sexy.

[SEOINAGE]

Your pic makes me want to do 2 a days to get there faster. You might want to be lower bf but you lookin beefcake.

I'm back to cardio once eod, lifting eod for two weeks. Next week I do cardio every day, and will lift a few times. My next phase in two and a half weeks I might only have up to 2 double cardio days, just depends what I need and how I'm going to fit it in with the way the diet is structured with the lower calorie days. I don't think you have to do cardio twice, but one session would be LISS, the other would be hill sprints or bike sprints, LISS with fasting after, usually had some protein before HIIT. That's about all I can say about it, consulted with someone to help build what I am working on, and it's how he stays in business. I have had to modify some things, but because it was my own fault not following certain things because my appetite was out of control certain times.

[zaggahamma]

Pretty much. I decided to shave, was curious what I looked like. Which resulted in a bunch more stupid and annoying comments, but at least I look damn sexy.

comments from who and lets hear

[SEOINAGE]

Yeah getting light headed again, although I did change iron supplements, calories go back up this sunday, so should fix itself. Assuming it is just the huge deficit last week and this week.

Going back over this I see I wanted to be in the 10-15% range end of march, well I believe I am in that range, but no where near that 10%. Also said I wanted to go till belly fat was even and reduced significantly, and I am seriously holding weight there. Leg striations, tricep striations, good definition, decent body fat in glutes etc, but means I'm not done yet. Not positive which protocol I will follow starting in three weeks, was hoping to get input from who i have been consulting with, but he is really busy with his more regular clients. I know what I want to do, but only if it doesn't take away from that belly fat goal, but it would be a fairly well balanced approach vs all out cutting, but I might still need that, not sure yet. Might do some pictures and get some input if I can't figure it out on my own, or get the help I need.

I've also heard of people maintaining really really lean conditions for extended periods to improve fat distribution. I almost feel like if I can drop that belly fat and keep it off, when I do bulks later if I am doing things right I wont just store an excess amount there. And if I am wrong, I'll maintain a much leaner condition between bulks to avoid getting to that point anyways. Not sure if I can fight genetics there with AAS and altering my chemical structure with proper eating etc etc etc.

[zaggahamma]

Yeah getting light headed again, although I did change iron supplements, calories go back up this sunday, so should fix itself. Assuming it is just the huge deficit last week and this week.

Going back over this I see I wanted to be in the 10-15% range end of march, well I believe I am in that range, but no where near that 10%. Also said I wanted to go till belly fat was even and reduced significantly, and I am seriously holding weight there. Leg striations, tricep striations, good definition, decent body fat in glutes etc, but means I'm not done yet. Not positive which protocol I will follow starting in three weeks, was hoping to get input from who i have been consulting with, but he is really busy with his more regular clients. I know what I want to do, but only if it doesn't take away from that belly fat goal, but it would be a fairly well balanced approach vs all out cutting, but I might still need that, not sure yet. Might do some pictures and get some input if I can't figure it out on my own, or get the help I need.

I've also heard of people maintaining really really lean conditions for extended periods to improve fat distribution. I almost feel like if I can drop that belly fat and keep it off, when I do bulks later if I am doing things right I wont just store an excess amount there. And if I am wrong, I'll maintain a much leaner condition between bulks to avoid getting to that point anyways. Not sure if I can fight genetics there with AAS and altering my chemical structure with proper eating etc etc etc.

interesting

[SEOINAGE]

[/B]
interesting

I've heard of others talking about it, but moreso maintaining near bb contest like condition for extended periods. I just don't think I can get to that point, since my main focus is strength and performance, I just want some even fat distribution. But I kid you not i swear I could see striations in my glutes last night. Makes me wonder what a drop in sodium and flush some water out would make me look. I consume a large amount of sodium with what little I eat right now.

[SEOINAGE]

Ended my last prime two weeks ago at 197 lbs. Weighed in at 215 lbs today, just been trying to maintain last two weeks, start recomp tomorrow. I assume mostly water weight gained, as I was in severe calorie restriction, and hadn't had carbs in two weeks.

Had bod pod and skin folds done today by someone well qualified, at a college's human performance lab.
bod pod at 12.7% bodyfat.
skin fold was 10.5% bodyfat.

I was at 25% body fat a year ago, and I have lost large amounts of fat since then, but not only that I have gained a lot of muscle.

One negative is I am going to have to dip really low in bodyfat to really be rid of what I carry on my lower center abdomen. But for now I think I am in a great position for a recomp, and get myself down to a nice solid 10% before I bulk, and even then if I am close to getting rid of that last bit on the belly, I might push for another hard cut. It just wouldn't be a good idea to keep pushing fat loss so hard for now. pretty excited about moving forward with this. I've worked insanely hard for the last 15 months at this, glad I have the results to go along with it.

Had full thyroid panels drawn today as it has been almost 6 weeks since I dropped t3. Hoping things are in order. Sleeping much better without it.

[zaggahamma]

12.7 awesome

yeh i hear you nobody likes to cut...will be a tough decision at that time

[< <Samson> >]

Post up a pic bro

I just like seeing a pic with real legit Bf% numbers. Kinda gives me a real life idea of where I'm at.

Personally I'm too scared to get a bod pod measurement done. If it came back too high, I think it might discourage my ass way too much.

That's pretty solid though, man. 12%+ is very respectable

That's kinda what I'm seeing too, I will need my Bf to drop very low to rid my body of random fatty deposits. The lower gut is one for sure, along with some on my chest and my lower back.

[SEOINAGE]

I have some pics close to the end of the worst part of my cut, but I should take more, should have last night. Believe it or not bod pod can fluctuate 5%, according to several people I have talked to, and the guy that runs the place up there, he puts more faith in his skin folds being consistent. It's just a number but it's nice to see how much I have changed from the last time, still need to go by looks. But this just confirms my decision to do a recomp, and my trainers advice to not push fat loss hard right now. Believe it or not but I am very wide, it's hard to tell from pics, but to be 12% body fat with a 37-39" waist and looking lean, it got down to 35.5 when I was fully depleted at 197 lbs, but back at 177 lbs a bit back i was also 35.5" waist on my best day. should have done pics last night though, way vascular and muscular looking. Almost like I don't need to be much bigger, although when I bulk I want to put extra emphasis on getting some arm growth, if that is even possible for me.

[SEOINAGE]

Here's one from two and a half weeks ago, little bit before I finished the end of my diet, and a good 15 lbs lighter than now probably. Cold and flat, no real vascularity showing, soon as I eat carbs the veins pop out, or any physical activity they'll come out without carbs. But eat a nice meal and some sugary snacks and I start to look nice. But I went two weeks without carbs it was pretty crazy, down to 500 cals a day etc.

[zaggahamma]

Wow best pic yet

Legs look sub 10% but thick

Upper looks 12 -13% like the bod pod says and yet even bigger

I also wanted to ask for pic glad samson did

U did real good bro

[< <Samson> >]

Ha, your legs look solid

But, my upper body seems more lean


Srsly, there no way I will post quad pics. I haven't done legs for a year.

A year ago I was squatting over 400, this year - shit, I'm barely hitting 300+

[SEOINAGE]

Thanks guys. In some other photos arms shoulders and chest look extremely lean, but I carry my fat in my gut, it's clear. I get vascularity all over my arms and inner biceps etc, veins across all over traps when i lift then flex. Like the skin fold measurements, showed my chest and leg as pretty much paper thin, but stomach area accounting for the majority of what put me up to 10.5%. Also this is really depleted, when I go carbless etc, always look worse, if I remember to get some decent pics when I get a chance soon I will. I still have that slight bit of gyno in left nipple from puberty, but it has decreased so much since losing the body fat, I don't think it will be a problem. I did some hair trimming too, so vascularity in legs has been showing up more plus with the carbs. Not into fully shaving though.

My squat is the lift that suffers the most during dieting. Went from 567 competition squat, to now I am repping with crap barely over 300. Bench is doing decent, deadlift is decent, but squatting never feels the same unless I'm really eating well and for an extended period of time before it starts to catch up.

Today was my first low calorie day of my recomp. Front loaded test, going to run at 500 mg a week. NPP at 500, and I didn't front load tren , but taking it probably at 350 a week. Should be sufficient for solid recomp results. I'm kind of easing into the recomp though, today wasn't drastically low calories, and no crazy cardio, just moderate activity levels. Still going to have a good eat day tomorrow so I can have solid lower session tomorrow night. Keeping my lifting as intense as possible, which will mean enough calories, will take some adjusting to find the right balance so it ends up a true recomp, and I'll be a bit progressive with it as I go. I don't have an actual set length of this either.

[SEOINAGE]

Ate a grip ton of food today. much more current pics obviously. No training again till sunday. Hit 345x5 on bench tonight, with a bad bicep tendinitis flare up, been hurting for a few weeks now. lower body is hammered, so this little break hopefully has come at a good time.



edit: I need a better camera, this low resolution pisses me off, looks like trash.

[< <Samson> >]

Holly hell you look scary big bro. Still lean though

Straight up, I'm getting to a point where I don't think I need to grow more. I just wanna get lean as hell. But, the last pounds are tough

[SEOINAGE]

Holly hell you look scary big bro. Still lean though

Straight up, I'm getting to a point where I don't think I need to grow more. I just wanna get lean as hell. But, the last pounds are tough

Thanks. Because I feel like I hit a brick wall, and am about to a decently lean position I'm taking a much needed break from all out fat loss. I think this recomp will do wonders for me, and intend to return to pure fat loss in the near future. I mean I have my compounds lined out for a bulk, but at this point I'm not all that interested in it till after I hit single digit bf, or I will save them to help me prep for a power lifting meet. So with this recomp, muscle needs to stay where it is or grow, and fat needs to stay where it is or decrease. Hoping for several lbs of fat loss, and a few lbs gained of muscle. But as long as it meets the previous criteria I'm good. Also going to be pushing all my lifts up in a non powerlifting template, but it also isn't really a bodybuilder template either. I've gained some good size following these principles and as long as I eat just enough the day of training I should keep moving weight up each week on my first working set, which really is my only strength set so to speak of each session.

[zaggahamma]

did just what u set out to do

goes to show when u set your mind even with a speed bump or 2 along the way

hard work and patience and boom

in just 4 months

glad we followed and got to almost see it happen

super props bro

be following your next thread

[SEOINAGE]

did just what u set out to do

goes to show when u set your mind even with a speed bump or 2 along the way

hard work and patience and boom

in just 4 months

glad we followed and got to almost see it happen

super props bro

be following your next thread

Thanks for checking back along the way. It is nice to have support. And don't worry it only gets better from here.

[< <Samson> >]

Thanks. Because I feel like I hit a brick wall

Man, you are the brick wall


Srsly looking big & lean as hell man. . . .

[marcus300]

Excellent progress and looking really big, thick and lean well done

[RaginCajun]

hard work pays off! kudos to you!

[SEOINAGE]

Thanks guys!

[SEOINAGE]

Time to resurrect this. Was looking at the pictures to get an idea where I sit in comparison now. Started my strict diet today. I have been having more health issues, and started thyroid medication which resulted in tons of fat gain, even while eating 1400 cals a day. Now after 6 months of adjusting medication I can actually eat normally and maintain my weight. Still have more blood work this weekend. Also I broke my hand which gave me a good two months off. Needless to say after looking at my pictures I believe I look worse than even the first photos, sad but true. I'm weak, have less muscle mass especially in upper body. My arms seem more defined than first photos but smaller and gut still looks bigger. I don't even know if I am going to take starting photos.

I'll be doing things a bit differently this time. Don't plan on adding anything until a good ways into it. At least the first 4+ weeks will be just my regular trt and thyroid dose, I almost want to see if I can make progress with the way things are currently just by changing diet and adding to my training. I want to also make sure I can maintain a healthy bf level with my prescribed t3 dose. I intend to do two 4 week blocks of really intense dieting and training, I have no interest at this point in doing the initial fat loss slowly, already weak and small, and need to a low bf base that I can build upon. I also don't plan on getting as big as I was till much further in the future, going for a more lean me, for other sports, and powerlifting comp on the backburner for a while.

I want to see how things go, then add tren a at 50mg eod while I am dieting hard or after I go to a maintenance or slower fat burn phase. At that point will alter t3 dose possibly. But these things are secondary to losing the bodyfat and at least looking semi decent. I'd put myself around 20%+ bf.

Right now training has been rough, bench and squat still hurts my hand, and I fell on it again this weekend so it is really swollen. I'm out of a brace, and doctor doesn't know I am lifting or doing extreme activities but I won't be seeing him again unless it somehow gets worse. I can deadlift fine usually, so I expect to have less than stellar chest development considering my bench is down 100 lbs, and can't work it very hard.

The hardest part right now is looking back on what I did to achieve what I did. Severe calorie restriction at times, walking at 4 am for an hour plus hill sprints on the way home. I want to build increased function and performance, but I don't even fathom how I was capable of what I did last year, I don't know how I made myself do it, doesn't even seem real. I have a lot of other things to work on right now as well, so I can't make this my sole priority, but will set a plan I can follow.

[The Deadlifting Dog]

Listen,

I just read this entire thread twice because I found it so amazing.
Don't be down on yourself or wonder how you even did it in the first place.
You will regain what you lost and then some as long as you approach it one day at a time.
I am cutting myself and look forward to reading further exploits from you to keep me motivated.

[NACH3]

Damn man great progress.... And screw what those others think(it's only when your at your best and they're just jealous) so out comes the finger pointing and you musta did this and that... Your doing it right and successfully, you can't ask for anymore than that!

Very motivational!

Congrats on the weight loss, and keep smashin brother!

[dep30]

Very solid progress man! Cutting fat isn't nearly as fun as putting it on and I have about 4% bf I need to shead over the next 9 weeks b4 I go on a cruise! You have motivated me bro

[SEOINAGE]

I appreciate the kind words. It helped fire me up. I'll do it all again and then some like you say, I'm on my second fast day, and just doing it once makes it seem so much easier.

[SEOINAGE]

Down over 10 lbs, see if I can drop 10 a week. I know initial weight loss is mostly water, but it hasn't even been a week yet. Weight loss should taper off, but what I am doing will taper even more so. It will be brutal and I might barely be walking when I go into my maintenance fat loss retention period, that transition and after will probably be the hardest overall, not cause it is so restrictive, but because I can eat more and have more freedom, it is hard to keep that extra freedom in check.

[SEOINAGE]

Ok so not quite 10 a week, which I am fine with at the pace I am going. After 18 days I was down 18 lbs. Already looking significantly better. I was thinking losing 40 lbs of actual fat would be ideal. My first round of the diet ends friday, in which I'm going to eat whatever for two maybe three days, then start the same thing over with some slight modifications as I go. I might wait till then to start any non script compounds, if even at all. Basically I will reassess what I need at that point. Will be working on a maintenance plan that I can stay lean, yet carry a reasonable level of muscle mass and strength that I have been used to, at least that is what I am trying to get to now. The transition will be tough I am sure, but that's where I want to place my greatest focus.

Right now I do an hour or so on the stationary bike or walking every day, and lift probably only two times this week. Surprisingly feel decent when lifting last night, just a bit weak as I move the weight up.

[davidtheman100]

Looking good man looking forward to more pics haha

[SEOINAGE]

I'll snag some pics once I start looking good again.... haha. Two more weeks of strict basically trace carbs and low cals, started today. Anticipating being down around 30 lbs total from the whole process, which should translate into 20 lbs fat mass lost, once I replenish glycogen and water. Depending on how I feel and what I am working on next, either maintain a low carb diet with higher calories, or start implementing certain carbs and see how my body reacts to them.

Still have some health issues. Dropped my test down to 160 mg a week, some sexual sides going that low for me, but I think lack of calories could be the real cause, so going to ride this one out. T3 is at 60mcg a day, 20x3. will be a while before we run bloods on this. Seem to feel fine, no intense appetite or any negative sides yet. Hoping to bring TSH closer to a 1. I'm starting to wonder if the stuff I got last year was overdosed. 50mcg of it I was dropping weight so dang fast, and at 75 mcg my appetite was insane and couldn't sleep. Other issues could be dealing with vit/mineral deficiency making it ineffective even though T3 levels are high, or it isn't getting into my brain as evidenced by the elevated TSH, in other words decent levels in blood but low in brain tissue. At this point all the doctor has said is it peaks quickly and that is why I have decent blood levels but TSH being high meaning the average amount of T3 is within range but could be improved. So next blood work should tell a lot, I hesitate to add things like supplementation because I don't want to change more than one thing at a time. Having a vit/mineral issue and being on thyroid meds, then correcting hte issue could then cause your current dose to make you hyper thyroid.

[Joco71]

Can't wait to see your progress. You were looking like a beast in those last pics great work!!

[SEOINAGE]

Thanks, I do miss how I looked, but this will be a bit different.

I'm about spot on with what I anticipated. I am down 31 lbs at the stop of my rigorous 8 week program. Weighing in at 191. Had my wife do some basic three point skin folds, put me at 10.7% bodyfat. I certainly don't look anything like that though, my stomach just doesn't look that lean. But last year when I had proper testing I looked great but still stomach just holds a lot of fat. My arm and leg skin are paper thin. But one difference from last year is that my butt is holding a lot more fat than last year. So I imagine I still have a bit more I can lose and am a bit higher than last year still.

I still would like to lose more bodyfat, but I was able to bring things down quickly to an acceptable level which was my intention. Have some relaxing to do this weekend, so cutting calories a bit short for a few days now. The smaller waistline and smaller stomach feels nice. I think if I could get a bit more off the lower ab area I would start to look really nice. I also want to get to a point soon where I can maintain my weight and start building strength back up, but still need to decide how I want to go about losing a bit more bodyfat.

[Joco71]

Good luck man I'm sure you will get it sorted out.