Complained one too many times about being fat in my daily reports... Had to do pictures. At first I was pissed but just sucked it up and got it over with right away. This was an interesting exercise. Feb at the top of my bulk I was 135lb and now (8 weeks later mind you) I am 3 lbs down on the scale. My strength is up from that time and I look bigger esp in the lat area. I also look fatter. You can see rolls around my middle that I did not see in Feb. I did take these pics at night whereas the Feb ones are in the AM before food. Still... Nothing makes sense anymore....
My body and my mind doesn't know what to do... If I was on my own I would be at about 127lbs right now which is only a 5lb difference I guess. Still I know at 127 I would be way less fat. Unfortunately it would also be less carrying LBM. Ugghhhhh... why can a person not drop fat without LBM!!??? This sux totally. Waiting to hear what Alan thinks of comparison pics and if there will be a change in the future. At this rate I will have to cut for 9 months to get to my sick lean goal. Who the hell wants to do that?
And LOL at Greg! Thanks for dropping in and giving the cheer dude.
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
First thought I had is that having rolls around the middle can mean there's something moving. A lot of times fat will be squishy before a whoosh. So I'm expecting the whoosh fairy will be paying you a visit after she's left my house (TOM, yesterday's fiber & semi-fast = major whoosh)
Good for you! I don't know what to think anymore. On one hand I am loving the hugeness of my lats right now and the strength in the gym. On the other hand this is so hard to be in obvious deficit but to not really see it on the scale or on my body so much.
I got Alan's reply. He is thrilled (in his normal "Alan" way) about the pics. He says that I definately got bigger and yet leaner at the same time. He sees more lean around the kidney area. Says we are definately riding this plan for awhile now.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH HHHHHHHHHH!!! Shoot me now!
On the plus side, reviews are over at work now. No raises this year but great stock grants. This means I get to seek new charities over the next years and will have to focus harder on investment education. (good times) Also we beat analyst predictions this quarter and our CEO thinks the worst is behind us. Our company saw this downtrun coming years ago (did all our restructuring for it then) and we are now very well positioned to come out of it ahead of the game. Yesterday I toured one of the labs and had a good time. Normally I hate doing that to people because it makes everyone nervous when I am in there. (you know the whole "Dog and Pony" thing) But our program is going swimmingly well right now so I got to joke around with the guys on the line instead of ask the "hard" questions and they got to show off the great work they have been doing. Am heads down on getting the spring time work done on the farm but am ahead of the game this year. I also have an open house for my rental property this weekend. So far it looks like it is a good market for rentals and I am actually enjoying the interview process for this. Yeah. So net is that I am pretty happy in the rest of the areas of my life so good balance all around I guess. LOL!
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
You should see the pics. I am hesitant to post them because I really feel fat right now and am embarassed. I got bigger in my shoulders and lats and quads. It is a lot bigger. I did not notice in the bootay though. HA HA on the leaner kidney. Perhaps I should do a lean kidney contest since my bbing contest is so many months away.
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Interesting experience this evening. Got my measurements and grew in lots of places but shrunk in the waist.
Here is a great example of why bf% are so screwed up at this sort of game and why I always feel I am passing myself. Check out Dec month versus April. I weigh almost exactly the same BUT my waist is smaller in April and my lats, glutes, quads and shoulders are bigger. Oh yeah and my lifts are significantly up (I am stronger) YET somehow I am higher bf% in April. I mean... WTF??? This is why I do these measurements but I really don't hold any true value to them. The guy who does these btw is a 15 year trainer using the 500 or so dollar skyndex calipers.
I am still trying to wrap my head around all this other data. I am bursting out of my clothing right now as my shoulders, lats and boootay all gain size but yet I am in a cut. The scale is going down but I am getting stronger and bigger. WEIRD...
Overall this looks quite good to me, when you disregard the scale number as well as the avg skin caliper numbers. Waist going down is great.. lats & shoulder plus strength going up is awesome.
Almost seems you're doing the impossible: gaining LBM & strength while on a cut.
Except for the sucky diet (low-carbing it's not YOUR thing) everything is going swimmingly.
And yet you're unhappy ?
Gotta agree with Espi, this looks great. Perchance you are over thinking the bf% results? It strikes me that measuring to within a .1mm on a consistent basis is very tough to accomplish, let alone the fact that the measurements are not under repeated conditions (different days, different intervals). But that is just the stats geek in me talking.
Stronger, leaner, on plan. Seems smile worthy to me
I'm gonna say that Tom is so right - those bf% numbers are too close to even say they have changed at all. Even with an expert doing calipers, there is a 2% or more range of error... when you're talking 10ths of a %, it's not at all realistic to see it as changing. Wait and look at a trend line over months - that's gonna be more useful.
Or, as you are realizing, don't worry about bf% and enjoy your culk!
I look so different in these pics guys. Not sure I want to post them. Perhaps tonight if I have some time. Also I am showing you my stats to show you why I DON'T wrap my head around bf% measurements in my game. It just isn't useful to me and I end up passing myself on the way up or down. I don't know anyone doing bbing who really puts a lot of weight on the bf%. It is all about how you look, how strong you are and how the clothing is fitting.
On that note Espi is right... Why am I so unhappy? Well that is a good question. Thi s cut is so different from what I am used to or expect. In my previous attempts to lose weight or to cut, I always saw very steady scale results as well as very obvious cutting type of physical results. I can fit in my little boy jeans, my small shirt sizes, etc. On this cut the scale is barely at all moving and I am growing OUT of my clothing instead of down into clothing. My bootay is bigger than it has ever been and I fear my days of wearing little boy jeans are gone. LOL! Guess I'll have to graduate to actual ladies sizes now. (seriously, I wore teens girls or boys jeans because womens sizes were always to big in the ass) All my small shirts are ultra tight on me in the lats and shoulders. But the bigger shirts don't fit my waist properly. It is weird right now.
So instead of the expected shrinking of Karla in this cut I get an increase in Karla. The scale doesn't move. I am pretty miserable with the macro selection and the diet is very hard to keep otherwise. (just complicated in that I have higher protein days 2 days a week and on workout days I have very specific pre and post meals which consume a lot of my carbs for that day) So flexibility is less there than in the past. Finally my fat is moving and I look fatter right now than I did in my top bulk weight as the squishy fat starts to take over. The culmination of all these things made me very confused about what was really going on and if I was doing things right.
It has been very hard for me to stick on this one but the results are starting to speak up loudly and clearly. I am up a lb today on the scale but in the mirror I saw all manners of new cuts this morning. My pecs are starting to pop and breast bone too. Going forward (with this experience behind me) I am going to be able to trust more in my ability to follow the process and the process itself and I hope to have less struggle with it all.
As for Alan... He is thrilled with the results and even more that I am seeing this stuff finally. I guess he is probably feeling pretty damned smug right now 'cause he really did tell me so. (over and over again)
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Karla, I just wanted to poke my head in here and say hello....thanks so much for posting all of this. It's fascinating to me and helps me think about my own goals, especially since you're just my height and hovering around the 125-135 area, which is just exactly where I expect I'll be going through the same things...it's very helpful to me. When I get there in about 10 more pounds, it won't be so foreign after seeing you go through it.
Very exciting to finally see the results you want finally! Honestly, though, not sure I have your discipline, I totally admire your commitment. : )
Elisabeth thanks for stopping by. It is really a mind trip and now I get why there were so many girls who quit NROL4W back when it first came out. They were doing a similar thing I imagine. Getting bigger! For me, this is very cool because I actually what to get bigger but if the intent is to lose weight and look smaller than this is not the best way to go about it I would imagine. LOL!
Once you get to a healthy weight for your height you'll have to figure out the "whatz next" part of the game. It is fun actually but also quite a bit challenging too. Can't wait to see what you do.
The disappearing kidney fat on the back is the most obvious change to my otherwise untrained eye.
But hey you were still quite lean at the start of the cut..
Seriously Karla - that kidney section is amazingly different now! And I definitely see the lats spreading more... keep the faith - whatever you're doing is working.
I had absolutely no idea what a leaner kidney would look like until I saw your pics. Your back is amazing! I, personally, think all of your shots look fantastic but I'm not to keen on the super lean look, either. You are doing an amazing job, Karla. I'm sorry the macros suck.
I'm walking 60 miles for a breast cancer cure, September 11-13, 2009! Please support my walk and help me raise funds for cancer research by donating to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/...nal&fr_id=1300
Just catching up...the pictures do tell the story. I agree with Bytsi...your lats look great and there is a huge difference in the kidney area. Keep the faith!
Thanks to all of you guys for checking out the pics and for confirming what Alan is saying to me. Today I was up a lb in weight but I did my carb up yesterday. My carb up is 40 freak'n grams. (whoopie) I shouldn't complain though it allowed me two scoops of black cherry sugar free ice cream. Gawd that tasted good.
And my workout today was incredible. All my lifts are improving by HUGE leaps. I am just amazingly strong right now. Alan wrote to me Friday (or perhaps it was Sat) and confessed that he did not expect to see this happening as dramatic as this. He also said this is one of the most amazing culks he has ever witnessed. (this especially since I was not obese or unfit to start) He is scratching his head over this but in a good way. I am still freaking out but less so with each passing day. It is what it is and as long as I am getting stronger than hell it is all good. Today I did bench squats and managed to pull off 3x8x185lbs. While the squats felt very solid, it took everything I had to finish the last set. After I racked the weight I came out of the cage spitting and panting and all vascular. I looked up at the clock to start my rest timer. There was one of da big bros sitting in my line of site on a machine. He gave me a big thumbs up and a nod of approval. Apparently it looked as solid as it felt. I love da boyz at my gym.
And for the rest of my life, I was in all day Face to Face meetings at work today with some of the most progressive and intelligent people in the technical world. Went to the gym right after and threw down HARD and long. Then just 1 hour later was in my season ticket upper balcolny seat at the Oregon Symphony. Intellectual, physical and cultural (artistic) development all done today. Life is all about balance.
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Wow, awesome. You can be Karla, the Incredible Culk. Sorry...couldn't resist. LOL. But must be a great feeling to keep getting stronger and stronger...and leaner and leaner. Alan must be loving it.
Not really feeling so good strangely. I want to cut dammit and this is so much like a bulk in every way except I don't think I am getting fatter. I don't know how to explain it except it is weird.
But.... ROTFLMAO at the "incredible culk" I totally have a new sig line! But I'll have to think up a new Avi to match it. LOL!
I am taking suggestions... Nothing is off limits. (evil freak'n grin)
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Hey, Karla, I saw what you posted in Bytsi's log about your waist measurements and was amazed at that 1" per month loss so I thought I'd catch up on your log....but noticed your posted data only shows a 1/2 inch loss since December... were you riding the extended bloat wagon or are you queen of the typos?
Hey Tina... Long time no see. (reminds me to check out the big girl folder now)
I was taking the stats from Feb to April and it is a .73 inch loss per month average if I am doing my Math correctly.
From Dec until Feb I was on a BULK which is sort of like an extended bloat I suppose. In any case I think it only makes sense to use the data from Feb to April since that is when my official cut started. Slow as it is... Alan is calling this a cut so I guess I have to as well.
And damn your intuition is killing me.... how did you know? I am sitting here sporting a sunburn all over my shoulders and back from this weekend. I totally thought about you when I took off my clothing and realized that I did not sunscreen. No excuse except we haven't had sun for so long that I totally forgot about it.
You must freak'n smell that on us or something.
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
That is fat for a bber. 
Linear Mode
