As the title says, I am looking for input from others to see if continuing to cut makes sense in my situation.

I am 5'9, 205 lbs. I am between 20-22% body fat, and have between 90-95 lbs of lean muscle mass (according to a recent dexa scan).

I have been in an almost constant calorie deficit for a few years now, and as I get closer to my goal body I am wondering at what point I should turn things around.

Does continuing the cut make sense with how much muscle I have? At what point do I eat at maintenace/a surplus?

My hard stop weight is at about 185 lbs, I would be about 12% body fat at that point.

Curious what others think.

What is the largest deficit I should do whilst maintaining my muscle? I seem to average 0.3 - 0.5kg a week.

Is it also true I can have a larger deficit if I do 15,000 steps because I am consuming more calories and protein?

Really don’t want to lose the muscle I have on the cut, appreciate any advice!

Cutting fat seems to be the obvious answer to me but over the last 2.5 years I have slowly dropped 105 pounds. I walk 3-4 miles at a 12-15% incline at a 4mph pace 6-7 days a week and just started lifting weights 4 days a week two weeks ago. I eat pretty healthy - 60% of my calories come from lean protein, 20% from healthy fats, 20% from healthy carbs. My concern is loose skin, which I already have a little bit of. Any advice would be great! My goal is to have a decent toned beach body.

Beginner here, I want to get lean and shred. Should I cut or maintain and keep building muscle?

I know I'm not crazy lean but you would think I would have some sort of ab definition at this BF%

I just don’t want to get small if I cut… like if I cut and am 165lbs that seems kind of small for 5’10 to me

So this year I've been trying to loose weight by mainly walking average 15k steps a week. but also doing a "beginnier" program at the gym 3 times a week. Its a general program of biggest muscle groups such as legs, back, shoulders, core mainly at machines. I've stayed at around 1200 - 1500 kcal at day. I've always thought about getting defined abbs and bigger defined muscles. Now when I reached my goal weight I have no idea how to progress from here, what are your suggestiongs?

I am 40 years old, 178 cm and 78.5kg at the moment.

First picture is 3 months ago at 155lbs. Since then, started going to the gym 4-6 times a week, taking 15g Creatine and +/- 3,000 cal daily.

Looking for advice on cut/bulk/maint/recomp and evaluation of my past 3 months of bulk.

This is my stomach naturally, not sucked in. My ribs are fairly visible if I pull my stomach in.

I know I need to build more muscle mass, and lose some fat still. Just really curious where this community would estimate.

I'm 33 y.o, 1m79 and 85kg. Training consistently for the Last 2 years.

Hi everyone! 😊

I’ve lost around 20 lbs naturally over the past 6+ months through a calorie deficit, walking, and strength training about 3 times a week. My goal is to look toned and build muscle, rather than just seeing the number on the scale go down.

I’m trying to decide whether I should continue focusing on fat loss for a while longer or transition to maintenance calories and focus more on building muscle since I've also been stuck at the same weight for weeks.

I’ve attached a picture for some visual context. I'm 40 y/o next month, mom of 2, 5'4" 171 lbs now.

Thank you! ❤️

But curious what you all think

I’m 31, 6’4 and I bulked from 168 lbs to 207 lbs in five months. I obviously gained too much weight way too fast, and it seems like the majority of it went to my stomach. Now I have a beer belly look. I’ve dropped some weight over the past few weeks and am down to 203 lbs, but I still have that massive gut look. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but my stomach looks a lot bigger in person, to the point where it noticeably sticks out through my T-shirt.

So now I’m trying to figure out what I should do. I still want to get bigger, but I don’t want to make my stomach any bigger than it already is. I’m okay with some fat, I just don’t want to walk around looking like I’m pregnant. Should I do a mini cut or try body recomp to get my stomach down, then start a slower, leaner bulk?

For context, I was in a massive surplus, eating around 4,800–5,000+ calories a day, with extremely high carbs in the 600–800g range. I was just so tired of being skinny and lanky at my height that I got carried away trying to reach 200 lbs as fast as possible. Now I’ve learned my lesson.

If anyone could give me some advice, I’d greatly appreciate it.

Not a great overall photo but would appreciate it if anyone shot some numbers of bf% guesstimates at me. Thanks!

5'10 35m. Fitness journey started April 2025 at 225lbs, got down to 160lb after hard dieting, exercise, and surgery (gyno). Post surgery (mid Feb) I was 160lbs, 8 months later here I am 175lb working out and dieting consistently again except one for maintenance month August.

Goal: To have visible abs and defined V taper. Currently trying to get down to 165lb but finding it extremely difficult to break this barrier. I realize this requires a certain BF %. I am guessing I am in the 20% range. Not sure, planning to get a Dexa. Any guesses?

Diet: Cutting sucks: 1700-1800 cal, 160-170g protein, 5-10g creatine and promix debloat every morning, low gluten overall, whole meats, eggs, avocado, spinach, veggies, rice, chickpea, potatoes, yogurt, fruit, occasional halo top ice cream and pop corn, lots of water, black coffee, coconut water, green tea, premier protein shakes daily. IF meal period between 12-7/8pm, I only have 2 meals plus a protein shake and some yogurt and fruit. I am so hungry all the time 😭 I'll have a moderate treat within overall calorie range once a week, but still

Workout: 4x a week kettlebell & calisthenics push/pull + brisk walking or jumproping cardio after each session, core workouts on pull days, lots of lateral raises, shoulder press, pull ups, incline chest press, dips. 7-8 exercises each session for about an hour and I am usually in a good sweat and pump afterwards.

Current Issue: Fatigue and stalling of progress. I cant seem to break this 175lb barrier. I have been going hard on the dieting and exercise again since early September and have not lost a pound, I actually gained a few lbs, 178 then 176 this am. I realize its probably water weight but frustrating nonetheless. I have visible stubborn fat on my lower belly and lovehandles and one lovehandle is bigger than the other. I am also getting exhausted. I work 6:30am-3pm, come home and crash immediately because I am so tired I nap from 3-5pm, lift and cardio from 5pm-6:30/7pm, shower dinner tv and in bed around 9:30-10pm and then I have trouble sleeping having trouble falling asleep and then waking up multiple times.

Any advice is welcome and also general reminder to please be kind. My body has been through a lot in the past year this and post was not easy for me; all of us here just want to improve ourselves.

First pic for reference to how skinny I was. Always been super skinny for 6'1 at 135 lbs. Been in the gym for a month and I have Been eating more but still struggling to find a large appetite to eat enough to bulk. What foods do I need to be eating to maximize my weight gain. What can I take to help improve this. Ive gotten to around 145-150. Looking for advice,suggestions and tips.