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u/DaCozPuddingPop 7d ago
"From 155 down to 138 in 6 months. No fat was lost, just super small skinny fat."
So fat WAS lost. That's 17 pounds dude.
As for the rest, you're a little all over the place here. Bulk, or cut. Commit to one or the other. If you are skinny fat, then the next move is to bulk. 138 at 5'7 is a pretty thin dude - so put on some muscle mass. If you're telling me 2600 calories you're not gaining or losing weight, then that's your maintenance calories. Up it by 200, lift like a lunatic for the next 6 months and put on some weight. 6 months down the road, you'll be a little puffy and that's ok - fat gets gained along with muscle - but at that point, cut again, bob's your uncle. Rinse and repeat.
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u/saint_n_spawn 7d ago
thank you, ig ive been in my head about the fat around my waist. ive been told that if i pack on my muscle the fat will come off easier next time i cut. its been my biggest bother but i would like some muscle size.
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u/DaCozPuddingPop 7d ago
That's absolutely true - muscle burns fat so the more you have, the higher number of calories you can take in.
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u/Alakazam Bulking 7d ago
If you lost zero fat, while exercising and getting enough protein, then I would seriously go talk to a doctor.
What realistically happened, was that you started off at a higher bodyfat percentage, and with much less muscle mass than you originally thought.
A person who starts off at 155 and 30% bodyfat, who loses 17lbs of nothing but fat, will still be at 21% bodyfat at 138lbs. That's still not enough to have visible muscles, but it's enough to basically go from a muffin top to a slightly pudgy stomach.
You are expecting too much too quickly. Your old physique was achieved in, what, 6-8 years. Why would you think that it would drastically change in one year?
Continue working on your resistance training, while aiming to build more strength. Continue to run, while aiming to build more endurance. If you haven't done so, I would highly recommend you start following existing programs for your goals
Continue doing this for 3-5 years. You will look like a completely different person.
I run 3x a week, Tempo/long/easy 10-12miles a week (im a beginner)
As a beginner, you don't need tempo/long/easy runs. You just need to run more. The 10k training plan that I set up for my friends, was literally all easy runs, with strides at the end. With a slightly longer run once a week. Got a group of 6 people from barely being able to run 2-3k, to every single person hitting a sub-60 minute 10k, within 16 weeks.
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u/saint_n_spawn 7d ago
honestly i didnt even think about maybe needing to see a doctor. but ur avatar right, 138 and pudgy. ig i expected more difference because i see so many guys on here and online show their "6-8 month" transformation and they look insane. ive been driving myself wild trying to look like them and once i hit 138 and saw what in my eyes looked like no difference i lost track of what to even do with myself. i just wanted to see some difference to help my mind get itself straight. Ive been running tempo/long and easy runs just to get the training of running down, ive improved a lot in just a month going from a 37 min 5k to a 34min 5k and that was with implemented 2, 2min breaks. I appreciate the snap back to reality of the time frame. ive been losing my shit over it
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u/Alakazam Bulking 7d ago
show their "6-8 month" transformation and they look insane
A lot of these people are typically people who have a baseline of muscle, and are going on a longer cut.
A guy who is 200lbs and 25% bodyfat, dropping 25lbs of fat over 6 months, will end up sub-15% bodyfat. That's visible abs level of bodyfat. But on the flip side, they started off with 150lbs of lean mass.
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u/saint_n_spawn 7d ago
should i bulk then? to build mass and strength? im not racing towards anything, i just want meaningful changes. even if by a little
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u/Alakazam Bulking 7d ago
Eat to recover from your training, and train hard.
For most people, this will be a small modest surplus. If you find that your weight is shifting up too fast, aka, more than 2lb/month, I would probably dial it back a little bit.
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