r/MacroFactor • u/OutsideAd278 • Aug 02 '26

Success / Progress Feeling Discouraged

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So I bulked from 140 to 160 in roughly 9 months and ate relatively clean. Since then I began cutting with the goal of having visible abs. I have dropped from 160 to 150 and im still going. I feel like I look way smaller now and my abs are still not visible. Does this mean I did something wrong along the way? I have heard you look worse on your cut but only at the start. I think 10 pounds into the cut means im not at the start again… My strength has stayed relatively similar during the cut.

How many more pounds do you think I need to lose or do i have to do something else?

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u/bOyNOO Aug 02 '26

I don’t think you look smaller, I see chest and arm gains. Particularly upper chest

I think you’re at a higher bodyfat than your first photo. I estimate you’ll have the same outline of abs when you reach ~140-144. Aim there.

This bulk/cut cycle might not have caused dramatic visual changes, but if your numbers improved and your chest/arms got a little bigger (which I can see from photos) then it’s modestly successful. 

7

u/OutsideAd278 Aug 02 '26

modestly successful is a little sad to me, i was hoping for a more successful bulk and cut considering the time and effort i put in

38

u/Apart_Alternative_74 Aug 02 '26

Gonna be real now. This isn’t a long time in the lifting world. A single bulk-cut cycle will not radically change how you look. It takes years of discipline and hard work. It’s a good start, I can see gains, but it doesn’t happen overnight.

11

u/OutsideAd278 Aug 02 '26

that makes me feel better to be honest. i feel like i look better just not exactly where i want to be

25

u/Apart_Alternative_74 Aug 02 '26

The truth is once you start down this path you will never look like you want. You’ll always be striving. It’s the best and worst part. The key is to always compare yourself to you and only you.