Hey there.
I've started going to the gym for the first time in my life, and I never thought I would say it - I love it! Reading quite a lot on how to work out, how to eat (still need improving, lacking protein. But I did order some Whey protein), and have a great trainer guiding me. I think I got the grasp of it. But I have one problem: I don't know what goals I should be aiming at now.
I started going to the gym on the ~24th of August, the day my girlfriend moved abroad to study. I am visiting her on the 31st of October, and I want to look my best. Just a small gift to her and myself. That's my real goal.
About me: 25 years old, 188cm height, and when I started, I weighed at 86-87 kg's. I know weight at 83-84kg's. Awesome!
Here's a few photos of me now to get a basic gist of how much fat I have from the front and side.
I know my main goal is to drop body fat. I wouldn't say I am very fat or anything (or even chubby), it's just that I have a belly (quite a noticeable one though). If my scales are correct (most likely, not), I have a body fat % of 21. I don't care if it's correct, or not, but that's my point of reference to track progress.
I currently eat 1500 calories a day apart from Fridays. From what I can figure, it's a bit extreme, but I am motivated enough to lose weight myself. Plus, I can imagine I underestimate a few of my meals and calories on my app (I imagine that's common). As I love my beer, I try to reduce my daily calorie intake from food at around 1200 on Fridays and have 3-4 pints, which should translate to ~2100 calories (No food with beer). Still a caloric deficit for my height. Still working on my diet, but every day it's improving and protein is starting to dominate my diet. As mentioned previously, I ordered some protein which will help me immensely at hitting my target protein.
But here's the problem. When should I stop cutting? Should I take breaks from cutting once I reach a certain point, then build muscle, and once time passes, cut again? Should my goal be "lose my belly" (my main goal for now)? But I am scared that I by the time I lose it, I will become too skinny and lose too much weight, which will halt my muscle development. What about weight? Is 75kg's a good number for my height, and I shouldn't drop any more? What about body fat percentage? How quickly do you lose body fat? Is 15% doable in 2 months (from 21 to 15%)? Or am I doing this the wrong way completely, and should just focus on . . .
